The Department of Education (DepEd) is mobilizing a 16-agency coalition for its annual school opening assistance program, as more than 27 million learners prepare to return to classrooms on 8 June.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the 10-day mobilization, known as Oplan Balik Eskwela, will run from 1 to 11 June, and described this year’s operation as a critical stress test of government readiness following successive school years marked by overcrowded classrooms, infrastructure strain, and logistical bottlenecks.