TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – Australia through the Australian Aid (AusAid) window is allocating AUS$40 million of the AUS$150-million grant to the Philippine Government for the education assistance in Eastern Visayas.
The financial grant is for the Basic Education Sector Transformation in support to the “K to 12” education program of the government.
Australian Aid Acting Minister Counselor Geoff King, who recently, met with heads of tertiary academic institutions in Tacloban and Leyte, said that although the AusAid is providing assistance to college schools, the main focus is the primary education in partnership with the Department of Education.
King said Australia is helping the Philippine Government in modernizing education through conduct of teachers’ trainings for improvement of teaching skills, building better and resilient classrooms, and strengthening the education system using the funds from the grant.
The grant will help train teachers, provide support for students, and build 1,000 new classrooms.
Half of the schools beneficiaries are located in communities affected by Typhoon Yolanda, King said adding that the Eastern Visayas Region has been prioritized because it was affected by the Super Typhoon.
Aside from education, AusAid is also focusing on the disaster risk reduction, in partnership with the United Nations in Tacloban City and Leyte province.
Next year, the Australian government will also provide millions to support the livelihood and infrastructure development, it was learned.
