DepEd rolls out recovery kits for disaster-hit schools

MANILA, Philippines —The Department of Education has set aside P4 million to supply disaster-hit schools with learning recovery kits that aim to replace learning materials destroyed by typhoons and floods.

The kits, called EduKahon, were launched on Thursday, August 28, at Tabaco National High School in Albay. Each kit is made for one teacher and 40 students and includes supplies such as notebooks, pencils, rulers, laminated posters, hygiene packs and first aid kits. Some kits also carry additional items like solar panel sets.

DepEd on Thursday announced the kits will be distributed at three levels: school kits for temporary classrooms, teacher kits with instructional materials and learner kits with individual supplies. The contents may also be adjusted depending on the needs of affected schools. 

The P4 million budget allocation for the program will be sourced from the department's basic education curriculum budget for its initial rollout, DepEd said.  

"Our students and teachers are the first affected whenever disaster strikes. Through EduKahon, we ensure children's learning continues and their progress isn't interrupted despite these events," Angara said.

DepEd's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service will oversee distribution and monitoring at public schools and community learning centers nationwide affected by disasters.

DepEd said it will also integrate EduKahon into the Adopt-a-School platform to allow its private partners and donors to directly support kit preparation and deployment. 

Natural disasters have repeatedly disrupted classes across the country, limiting DepEd's ability to roll out intervention programs for students who are falling behind or who have yet to learn at the level expected of them. 

In July, face-to-face classes were suspended for a week straight in over 20,000 public schools nationwide as rains from the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) pummeled the country — the longest class suspension for the school year so far.  

Meanwhile, class disruptions were so severe in 2024 that DepEd issued revised guidelines in December requiring all schools to draft detailed learning continuity plans in case of typhoons or other disruptive weather events.