The World Bank has approved $600 million in financing to support a Philippine government program aimed at improving learning outcomes for more than 21 million students in kindergarten to Grade 10 and assisting about 770,000 teachers nationwide.
The funding will go to the Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization (PLUS-D), which will be implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd). The initiative seeks to strengthen foundational literacy, numeracy, and mathematics skills among learners in public primary and lower secondary schools across the country.
“For the Philippines, sustaining growth and creating more jobs will depend on strong human capital—a workforce with solid foundational skills in literacy and numeracy,” said Zafer Mustafaoğlu, World Bank division director for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. “This effort is about giving every Filipino child a fair start, ensuring they can build the skills that underpin lifelong learning and future success in the labor market.”
The Philippines has made gains in expanding access to basic education, particularly at the primary and lower secondary levels, with higher enrollment rates recorded in recent years. However, education experts have flagged persistent gaps in learning quality, which were further exacerbated by prolonged school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent studies indicate that 91% of Filipino 10-year-olds are unable to read and understand age-appropriate text, a condition known as “learning poverty.” The World Bank and other institutions have warned that this could have long-term implications for workforce readiness, productivity, and economic growth if left unaddressed.
Low learning outcomes have been linked to several systemic challenges, including limited teacher capacity, gaps in professional development, uneven school leadership, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient access to quality learning materials.
The PLUS-D program is designed to address these issues by supporting DepEd’s learning recovery and acceleration initiatives, while improving classroom assessment systems and strengthening how data is used to guide teaching and learning. The program will also introduce evidence-based training and coaching for teachers and school leaders to enhance instructional practices and leadership effectiveness.
In addition, the initiative will expand access to inclusive teaching and learning materials, including resources tailored for learners with disabilities and support for Indigenous Peoples communities. It will also advance DepEd’s digitalization efforts to improve the delivery of education services and strengthen decentralized decision-making at the school and regional levels.
As part of its implementation, PLUS-D will provide grants and targeted technical support to 10 DepEd regional offices and more than 11,100 schools. The goal is to accelerate improvements in elementary education and raise the quality of lower secondary education through localized and responsive interventions.
“PLUS-D is about combating learning poverty nationwide by equipping teachers with evidence-based support, promoting school autonomy and accountability, and helping Filipino learners become independent, confident readers. We have seen this work in countries around the world, and the Philippines will be no exception. Help is on the way,” said Janssen Edelweiss Teixeira, World Bank senior education specialist and project leader.
The program is expected to benefit approximately 21 million learners enrolled in kindergarten to Grade 10, including those under the Alternative Learning System (ALS), the country’s nonformal education program for out-of-school youth and adults seeking to complete basic education.
Beyond students and teachers, the initiative will also support about 59,000 school leaders and 300 DepEd personnel through capacity-building programs aimed at strengthening governance, accountability, and overall education system performance.
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