THE UNITED States Agency for International Development has donated over P12 million worth of distance learning equipment to the Department of Education for its Alternative Learning System e-Skwela Learning Centers.

The donation included desktop units, printers, projectors, wireless routers and other materials needed for distance learning programs.

The donation will be distributed to E-Skwela Centers in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Angeles, Legazpi and Davao.

USAID Acting Mission Director Sean Callahan virtually turned over the assistance to DepEd ALS Assistant Secretary G.H. Ambat and Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal on July 14.

“The US government, through USAID, is here to support DepEd in reinvigorating education programs. We are working hard so that vulnerable, out-of-school youth who have stopped schooling due to the pandemic are given the opportunity and tools to adapt, grow, and have a better tomorrow,” Callahan said.

The USAID has been supporting DepEd ALS’s continuity and Covid19 response plan through its Opportunity 2.0 program that helps restore access to education for the out-of-school youth.

“The Covid19 pandemic worsened the out-of-school youth’s lack of access to education. This has magnified their vulnerability, leaving them less able to pursue education and progress towards better economic opportunities for themselves and their families,” Ambat said.

“We are happy that USAID remains one of DepEd’s strongest partners, committed to supporting us in improving the quality of basic education for Filipino youth,” she added.

Last year, USAID supported DepEd in developing self-paced ALS modules and trained ALS teachers to adopt to remote learning.

As of June 2021, almost 16,000 out-of-school youth have benefitted from the new modules, while over 2,500 ALS teachers and implementers have so far been trained on flexible learning modalities nationwide.