DepEd Receives Over P28B in Private Sector Donation to Public Schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) has expressed appreciation to the private sector and other program partners for making possible more than P28.8 billion in donations and education support to public schools through the Department’s Adopt-A-School Program (ASP) from 2011 to 2015.

Undersecretary for Partnerships and External Linkages Mario Deriquito said “Because of you and through you, change has indeed come for our schools and our learners,” during the recent ASP appreciation activity at the Meralco Multi-Purpose Hall, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City.

For 2015 alone, DepEd’s ASP generated a total of nearly P8 billion worth of donations.

“You have helped us bring change into the lives of many learners. We are amazed and grateful at the convergence of support the education department has received over the past six years,” he added.

ASP enables the private sector to aid the Philippine education system by investing, giving donations and adopting public schools, preferably those in the poorest provinces.

Areas of investments or donations include construction or upgrading of school facilities, provision of instructional materials, modernization of instructional technologies, training and capability-building of staff and faculty, and other areas that lead to the betterment of education for learners.

ASP is an initiative under Republic Act 8525, or the Adopt-A-School Act of 1998. DepEd has created a database and a mapping system of all the donations with information on the nature of the private sector engagement, the location, as well as the reach of the different programs and initiatives.

“This database shows how the donations are put into good use, and also, provides our partners with information about what the others are doing so that they can also enter into partnerships between and among themselves, for the cause of Philippine education,” Deriquito explained. (DepEd)