The United States (US) government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently handed almost 1,000 sets of Home Learning Resource Kits (HLRK) for numeracy to eight pilot schools in the Western Visayas region.

“We hope that through these supplemental materials, we are ensuring the continuity of learning and developing numeracy skills of our early grade learners in the comforts of their home. We also hope that these kits will aid parents and guardians at home in helping their children learn, have fun, and love mathematics concepts,” USAID Deputy Director for Education Yvette Malcioln said at the event in Zarraga Elementary School in Iloilo on April 13.

The kits are designed to provide support for home learning partners who act as facilitators – partners in students’ learning of mathematics and strengthen-home collaboration.

The development of the learning kits, which will help build learners’ conceptual and procedural fluency, and their ability to reason and make connections, was made through the collaborative efforts of the Department of Education, USAID ABC+ project, and the University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED).

USAID also handed over the same number of kits to eight other pilot schools in Region V. The distribution of these kits is part of the “Early Numeracy Initiative for Remote Learning implemented by USAID through its ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines project. The initiative also trained teachers, school administrators, and school divisions in Regions V and VI early this year on improving the delivery of numeracy and mathematics instruction in Kinder to Grade 3 classrooms.

“We cannot implement our Learning Continuity without our partners – the local government and USAID ABC+ who offered their technical assistance and expertise to us along with their many initiatives,” DepEd’s National Educators Academy of the Philippines Director John Arnold Siena said.

Malcioln also joined the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Education Iloilo City, USAID ABC+ project, and Uygongco Foundation Inc. to support the implementation of the ABC+ Beginning Reading Program. The program will reach out to disadvantaged children in select schools and provide technical and material support as well as resources on early grade learning for teachers, learners, and their families.

“This activity affirms our effort that we are doing right. Together, with fervent desire, let us push this forward to help the children that we are all serving,” Uygongco Foundation Inc. Executive Director Mary Jean Bernaldez Solidio said.

Uygongco Foundation Inc., (UFI) is a non-stock, non-profit, non-sectarian and non-political organization based in Iloilo City. With this partnership, these three organizations will work to increase access to quality education towards improved literacy and better education outcomes for the children of Iloilo City.

Close to 8 million early grade supplementary reading materials in various mother tongues have been distributed by USAID to over 750,000 learners, and 27,000 teachers from almost 3,000 schools so far in ABC+ implementing areas in Regions VI and VI as well as Maguindanao and Special Geographic Areas (SGA) in the region. The ABC+ Project is a partnership of DepEd and USAID, and implemented in partnership with RTI International, together with The Asia Foundation, SIL LEAD, and Florida State University. (PNA)