The Department of Education-Negros Island Region (DepEd-NIR) hosted the Adopt-A-School Program (ASP) caravan for the Visayas Cluster July 30 in Bacolod City, bringing together stakeholders from regions 6, 7, 8, and the NIR.
The event at the SMX Convention Center, part of a nationwide caravan series, highlighted the launch of the ASP platform, a new digital gateway that makes it easier for partners to support public schools through features, such as transparent project-matching and easier donation tracking, to name a few.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, in his keynote message delivered by undersecretary for Support to Public Private Partnerships Gerard Chan, stressed that meeting the critical needs of schools requires active, clear-cut cooperation between government and private partners.
TESDA director-general Jose Francisco Benitez, in his message, echoed this call for collective action. “The Adopt-a-School process is an entryway for a whole-of-society response to any deficiencies that the system may have.”
DepEd, TESDA, and the Commission on Higher Education signified their pledges of commitment and presented their respective ASP Menus of Investment, which align partner support with DepEd’s 5-Point Reform Agenda and the recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2).
Priority areas include classroom construction, safe schools initiatives, and Senior High School work immersion programs, the DepEd-NIR said in a press release.
The caravan showcased a whole-of-government approach, uniting national agencies, local government units, private institutions, NGOs, the academe, and civic organizations.
The 2026 ASP Caravan will head to Mindanao and Luzon as DepEd continues to invite more private companies and organizations to invest in public basic education. ||
