Private sector help for DepEd program reached P7 billion in 2009

CEBU, Philippines - The Adopt-A-School Program of the Department of Education generated P7.3 billion in commitments from the private sector last year as compared to the P6 billion pledged in 2008.

DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the “private-public partnership we have sustained through Adopt-A-School will further benefit our public schools and help the department deliver quality education services our schoolchildren rightfully deserve.”

“The amount we have raised in 2009 speaks of the commitment of our private sector partners and the priority they give to education,” he added.

Through the program, DepEd has inked more than 400 partnerships with private sector corporations, non-government and civic organizations.

The donor with the largest contribution in 2009 was Knowledge Channel, which donated educational television (ETV) facilities and infrastructure to public schools. The 10-year partnership aims to enhance the teaching and learning processes with the use of ETVs.

The DepEd chief said, “We at the department thank our long-time donors whose support for basic education did not waver despite the global financial crisis that negatively affected private sector performance.”

Since Lapus relaunched the program in 2006, and from P400-million pledges from the private sector, the Adopt-A-School has become the department’s second biggest resource-generating mechanism next to the approved DepEd budget.

Lapus further said: “I call on other stakeholders in the private sector to support the Adopt-A-School Program and work with the department in providing the resources our 44,000 public schools need.”

Donations from the private sector can be classified under technology support, learning support, health and nutrition, literacy program, and physical infrastructure.

Companies and individuals may also choose to help public schools through a combination of these packages. They may also extend direct assistance to schoolchildren in the form of school supplies or stipends, Lapus also said. — Johanna T. Natavio/MEEV   (FREEMAN NEWS)