The country’s education sector has suffered a severe blow following the closure of the United States Agency for International Development, with P4 billion worth of USAID-funded projects now at risk. Among these is a project aimed at improving the reading skills of learners from Kindergarten to Grade 3, according to a high-ranking official from the Department of Education (DepEd).

In a radio interview on Wednesday, DepEd Assistant Secretary for Strategic Management Roger Masapol revealed that USAID had allocated a total of $94.02 million for the country’s basic education projects.

“For basic education. But this includes five projects. One of them is ABC+. It was allocated $47.5 million, and although it was completed last year, it was extended until 2025 and 2026. The goal was to ensure continuous interventions for ABC+. ABC+ targets fixing the foundation for K-3 learners and improving DepEd’s reading programs,” Masapol said.

He further explained that the loss of foreign aid from USAID would significantly impact the project’s timeline.

“So, what the government, led by Secretary Sonny Angara, did was map out all the interventions provided by partners like USAID into our 5-Point Agenda, which is Secretary Angara’s quality basic education development plan,” Masapol added.

“This means that all the support given by our partners, including USAID, is part of our priorities. So, if these interventions funded by the US government are put on hold, it will affect the speed of the Department of Education’s reform process,” the DepEd official noted.

Masapol emphasized that despite the challenges, DepEd will continue to implement these critical programs for improving the country’s basic education system.

“We will find ways to continue, for example, by securing continuing funds. We are exploring options to keep some of the critical activities of these programs going,” he said.

However, Masapol expressed optimism that the US government would resume its support for the country’s education sector.

“We are hopeful that after 90 days, these activities will continue. It seems that the US government will review in 90 days whether it is necessary to continue these programs or not,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate because we had already made progress. We were on track for smooth sailing, but now we have encountered these hiccups. However, we will find ways to mitigate the effects,” the DepEd official added.