DepEd, HOPE tap big brands for classroom project

The Department of Education (DepEd) and HOPE, one of the country’s biggest social impact organizations, on Monday launched the Generation HOPE project to accelerate the construction of 165,443 public school classrooms nationwide.

The project involves some of the country’s biggest Filipino brands, which have created ways to share their profits and collect donations for building the classrooms. These brands include BDO, Carmen’s Best, Grab, Penshoppe, Aivee Clinic, SM Supermalls, and Sunnies.

“When the government and the private sector unite through partnerships like Generation HOPE, we break down barriers and pave the way for every Filipino child to learn in a safe and inspiring environment,” said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.

HOPE has built 144 classrooms through the sales of HOPE in a Bottle and HOPE in a Box drinking water. The organization was established by Nanette Medved-Po in 2012.

Some of the brands will be selling limited product and packaging designs displaying the HOPE logo on tote bags and Skin Bank cards from Aivee Clinic, shirts from Penshoppe, ice cream containers of Carmen’s Best, and lens cleaner kits and flasks from Sunnies.

Meanwhile, Grab’s app will accept donations and convert reward points for the construction of classrooms.

BDO created the “HOPE in Every Spend” credit cards, which will automatically direct a portion of users’ expenditures to the classroom project.

Lastly, SM Supermalls will donate some of its profits from SM-branded bottled water.

Angara said building more than 165,000 classrooms will take 30 years if the government agency relies on the national budget alone.

He added that DepEd selected 841 schools where senior high school students will take fewer than 33 subjects over two years. Angara explained this measure should help students learn the most essential and practical subjects.

“We are the only country in the world that has 33 subjects being taught to high school students over a two-year period. The new curriculum should allow students to choose what they really want to learn and not be confined with a big set of subjects,” he said.

To maximize the use of classrooms, Angara said senior high school students can study at home through virtual classes, while those in the lower grade levels come to the classrooms to be closely guided by teachers for learning basic skills like reading and writing.

However, Angara said the government needs to broaden internet access and improve its speed for conducive learning conditions.