Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara announced Wednesday that the approval of the Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization (PLUS-D) signals a major shift toward empowering local school leaders to make key decisions that directly impact learning outcomes.

PLUS-D, a six-year, P38.2 billion nationwide initiative, is designed to tackle learning losses and grant more autonomy to regions and schools.

The project will be financed primarily through a P34.79 billion World Bank loan, supplemented by a P3.47 billion Philippine government counterpart. The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development supported the financing approval.

“We know that a one-size-fits-all solution is not needed to resolve the learning gap in every classroom,” Angara said. “With PLUS-D, schools with the capacity and readiness can move faster, innovate more, and be held accountable for real results for learners. We need to trust those closest to the children.”

The project is expected to benefit approximately 21.2 million Kindergarten to Grade 10 learners through combined nationwide and targeted interventions.

PLUS-D will channel resources and technical support directly to schools and regional offices to speed up learning recovery in the early grades and upgrade instruction in junior high school.