USAID is helping improve access and quality of basic education in Mindanao under our Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS) project. EQuALLS is working closely with the national and ARMM Departments of Education and local governments to increase learning opportunities for around 300,000 children and youth in conflict-affected Mindanao by providing infrastructure and learning materials, improving instruction quality in English, science and math, and mobilizing local governments, communities, and other local stakeholders to give greater support to basic education.
 
From July 2006 to July 2011, the project will construct or renovate 900 classrooms in the ARMM, Regions 9 and 12; revitalize 850 local educational organization structures such as PTCA's; train 35,000 teachers in English, science and math; train 75% of all administrators and officials from its assisted schools in school finance, management, and governance; and distribute almost two million books and other education materials such as math and science kits. We will also help some 70,000 out-of-school children and youth by providing access to alternative learning systems, to either reintegrate them into the formal school system, or provide opportunities at gaining accreditation and equivalency certificates.
 
EQuALLS is being implemented by a team of local and international organizations with expertise in education and youth development in Mindanao, led by the US-based non-profit organization Education Development Center. We have also established partnerships with US-Based Brother’s Brother Foundation for its book donations; with Microsoft Philippines for ICT training and subsidized software for teachers and administrators; Petron Foundation for classroom construction; and National Book Store Foundation for distribution of dictionaries and thesauri.
 
USAID's EQuALLS Project has three main objectives under Basic Education
 
Increasing learning opportunities for the youth through community support.
EQuALLS is working with the national and ARMM Departments of Education and local governments to give children and youth in the ARMM and Regions 9 and 12 better access to quality basic education by mobilizing and capacitating local governments, local school boards, parent-teacher-community associations, and other local education stakeholders to give greater support to the basic education needs of the children and youth in their own communities and assisting them in their technical, infrastructure, material and other needs.
 
Strengthening local capacity for teaching of English, science and math
EQuALLS is sharpening the skills and enhancing the resources of elementary educators in the ARMM and Regions 9 and 12 in the teaching of English, math and science to raise the Philippine National Achievement Test (NAT) scores of their students and to make their skills at par with those of other children and youth in the rest of the country and the world. Teachers are provided with educational materials, post-training support in mentoring, as well as training in information and communications technology.
 
Improving relevance of education for out-of-school children and youth
EQuALLS2 is giving out-of-school children and youth in the ARMM and Regions 9 and 12 options for basic literacy skills development, reintegration into the formal school system, as well as accreditation and equivalency.