DepEd rolls out AI-driven reforms to streamline school operations, target education gaps

The Department of Education (DepEd) is expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce administrative work in schools and improve the delivery of basic education services as part of its digital transformation push.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the agency is focusing on practical AI tools to ease workloads for teachers and school administrators, particularly in underserved areas.

“AI does not always have to be complex—it is in simple, meaningful integrations where it truly changes lives,” Angara said at the 2026 National Innovation Day.

He said the initiative aims to cut paperwork, speed up service delivery, and improve how resources are directed to schools that need them most.

“These are not one-off solutions. We are building systems that will last, improve over time, and directly support our classrooms,” he said.

Angara also cited support from the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., along with collaboration with the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under a coordinated push for AI and digitalization.

At the center of the initiative is the Education Center for AI Research (ECAIR), which is developing systems to improve data use and decision-making across the education sector, which serves about 25 million learners nationwide.

ECAIR Managing Director Erika Fille Legara said the main challenge is linking fragmented data systems to improve efficiency in planning and service delivery.

DepEd presented several AI projects under the initiative. Project DUNONG automates reporting and assessment tasks for school heads, reducing paperwork. Project TALINO maps infrastructure and resource gaps such as classroom shortages and electrification needs to guide investments.

Project SIGLA aims to detect early signs of malnutrition among learners, while Project SABAY screens students for reading and speech difficulties for earlier intervention. Project SALIKSEEK, meanwhile, uses generative AI to speed up access to verified education data for planning and policy work.

Angara said the goal is to improve equity in access to education services and ensure reforms reach classrooms nationwide.