USAID program to benefit OSYs, grade schoolers

KORONADAL CITY – Some 120,000 out-of-school youths and 300,000 elementary pupils are expected to benefit from the $60-million Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills 2 (EQuALLS2) program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Regions 9 and 12.

The USAID funding for the program’s second phase will be spread out over five years (from 2007 to 2011) in the three regions with the collaboration of the Department of Education (DepEd) and other concerned government agencies.

Bill Potter, chief of party of EQuALLS2, said the program is the USAID’s response to the problems of the Philippine education sector, especially in conflict-prone areas in Central and Western Mindanao.

“It seeks to improve education quality and access, and provide livelihood skills training to out-of-school youths. We will be giving opportunities and a better future to these children through education enhancement and livelihood skills development,” Potter told The STAR after the launch of the EQuALLS satellite office here last Friday.

During the ceremony, Potter turned over teleconferencing facilities to the officials of DepEd-Central Mindanao led by regional director Luz Almeda.

During the five-year program, Potter said they hope to reach 120,000 out-of-school youths and 300,000 school children from Grades 1 to 6 in the target regions.

He said the EQuALLS2 staff will work with the principals and teachers of more than 800 elementary schools in the three regions.

“We will also be training hundreds of elementary schools teachers to improve the quality of their teaching in English, Science and Mathematics,” he said.

Launched in 2004, EQuALLS began as a three-year program with an initial funding of $20 million, but the USAID, the funding agency, later decided to continue it for another five years with an additional $60-million fund after it saw its value and the developments of the target beneficiaries in relation to the government’s education program and peace initiatives.

As of June this year, EQuALLS had provided increased access to learning opportunities to 913 elementary schools with 487,970 pupils, 19 Madaris schools with 416 students, and 205 high schools with 251,986 students.

It also helped improve the quality of teaching of 21,900 primary and secondary teachers in the ARMM and Regions 9 and 12.