MANILA (November 7) — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday welcomed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s approval of the World Bank-funded Project for Learning Upgrade Support and Decentralization (PLUS-D), describing it as a major reinforcement to the Department of Education’s Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.
“Expected to benefit around 21.2 million Kindergarten to Grade 10 learners, the initiative will reinforce and complement the ARAL Program, which will be funded under the 2026 national budget,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
The senator stressed the need for both programs to be implemented efficiently to maximize the use of public funds and address the country’s learning crisis.
“Mahalagang tiyakin nating maipapatupad nang epektibo ang mga programang ito. Hindi puwedeng mabinbin o malustay ang mga proyektong tutugon sa krisis sa edukasyon,” he said.
Managed by the Department of Education (DepEd), PLUS-D seeks to recover learning losses and decentralize reforms by granting schools and regions greater autonomy in implementing education initiatives.
The six-year project, which has a ₱3.47-billion government counterpart and a ₱34.79-billion total cost, will provide teacher training, digital learning tools such as laptops, and accountability systems that reward improved learning outcomes.
DepEd said the project aims to accelerate education recovery and ensure that resources and technical support reach schools faster through localized decision-making and implementation.
