World Bank backs $600M push for better learning in the Philippines

The World Bank has approved $600 million to help the Philippines tackle a deep learning crisis in public schools, as outlined in a World Bank press release. The Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization (PLUS-D) will benefit more than 21 million students from kindergarten to Grade 10 and nearly 777,000 teachers nationwide. The initiative comes as recent studies show 91% of 10-year-olds in the Philippines cannot read or understand age-appropriate text — a crisis made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

World Bank Division Director Zafer Mustafaoğlu said sustaining growth and creating jobs depends on a workforce with solid literacy and numeracy foundations, and that every Filipino child deserves a fair start. PLUS-D will support the Department of Education’s learning recovery program, strengthen classroom assessments, and deliver evidence-based teacher training and coaching. Inclusive materials for learners with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples learners are also part of the package.

Grants and tailored support will go to 10 regional offices and over 11,100 schools to accelerate elementary learning and improve lower secondary education under decentralized arrangements. About 59,000 school leaders and 300 DepEd staff will receive capacity-building support, while digitalization and school autonomy reforms move forward under DepEd’s 5-Point Reform agenda. World Bank Senior Education Specialist Janssen Teixeira said the approach has worked in other countries and called the project a clear step toward helping Filipino learners become confident, independent readers.