2 ALS programs set to be completed by February amid US aid freeze

MANILA, Philippines — Two Department of Education (DepEd) projects for the alternative learning system (ALS) are set to be completed by February 2025 amid the freeze on funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 A 90-day pause in US foreign assistance obligations and disbursements is in place after an order from President Donald Trump upon returning to office on Jan. 20.

“The ALS Tracer Study and Opportunity 2.0 programs are set for completion in February 2025, and DepEd is working to ensure that their objectives remain on track,” the DepEd said in a  statement on Thursday.

DepEd added that it will request USAID to “proper[ly] turnover project materials to efficiently use project resources, exploring alternative funding sources, and strengthening the capacity of the curriculum and teaching strand to integrate key project interventions into the department’s existing systems.”

 According to DepEd, US$94 million (or P4 billion) for education initiatives were suspended, with Opportunity 2.0 being one of the programs seen to take a hit from the aid freeze.

The rest of the affected programs are as follows:

• ABC+, which aims to enhance early-grade literacy, numeracy and social-emotional learning
• Gabay, a project to provide support for learners with special needs
• Improving Learning Outcomes for the Philippines (ILO-PH), which involves assessment frameworks and policies
• Urban Connect, a joint gender development program

“We will exhaust all means to sustain these programs, ensuring that the education of our learners is not disrupted,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in the statement.

“DepEd will maximize its existing budget, engage with existing and new partners, and absorb key components of these projects,” he added.

Further, DepEd began speeding up its procurement of second, fifth and eighth-grade textbooks to have them ready by the beginning of School Year 2025-2026.

“Citing the long-standing education partnership between the Philippines and the US, DepEd remains hopeful that considerations will be made to mitigate the impact of the suspension of ongoing projects,” DepEd said.