MANILA - The World Bank will be setting up an educational program for students and teachers in Mindanao.

The "Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Program" (TEACEP) aims to benefit nearly 2 million elementary school students and 60,000 teachers and school leaders in Mindanao, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the World Bank said in a statement on Friday (Saturday in the Philippines.)

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TEACEP aims to improve learning outcomes for children in kindergarten to Grade 6.

"It will do this by delivering professional development opportunities to teachers through a comprehensive coaching and professional development program. School leaders and supervisors will also receive training to enable them to better support and guide teachers in their instructional practices," the World Bank said.

The program will build "upon the Department of Education's existing coaching program" and will concentrate on boosting the literacy, numeracy and socioemotional skills of K-6 students.

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It also aims to emphasize on topics such as "peacebuilding, gender-sensitive instruction, climate and disaster resilience, and inclusive education."

“Education is a key driver of development, as it equips people with the knowledge and skills they need to participate in the workforce, contribute to the economy, and improve their standard of living,” Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand said.

The project will also provide physical and digital resources to students, teachers and coaches and provide radio-based learning for last-mile schools.

“Focusing educational interventions in these regions known to be among the poorest in Mindanao can have a powerful impact, providing opportunities for people and communities to improve their lives, while also yielding valuable lessons for boosting the overall quality of education nationwide,” said World Bank Senior Economist Sachiko Kataoka.

DepEd, in collaboration with the BARMM Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education will implement the project in three regions in Western Mindanao: Region IX, Region XII, and BARMM.

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