Championing equity in education, the Department of Education (DepEd) has officially activated the Bayang Bumabasa Initiative, allotting P131 million in Needs-Based Program Support Funds to assist 131 priority schools in accelerating literacy gains.
The initiative, unveiled during the 2025 National Literacy Conference, will provide up to P1 million per school to implement locally responsive and contextualized reading programs.
The 131 recipient schools – including 25 located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas – were identified through the School Year (SY) 2024-2025 Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) as priority areas for additional support. Using this data, DepEd moved beyond random allocation to pinpoint schools where foundational literacy intervention is most critical, ensuring support reaches even the farthest communities across the archipelago.
Recipient schools reflect the country’s diverse and challenging landscapes. In the north, the initiative reaches upland agricultural communities served by Capissayan Norte Elementary School in Gattaran, Cagayan. In the Visayas, it extends to interior highlands such as Hiduroma Elementary School in San Jose de Buan, Samar. In the south, it reaches coastal areas like Maguid Elementary School in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.
‘The Bayang Bumabasa Initiative is about equity. We are directing resources specifically to the schools that require the most support – from municipal centers to the most far-flung communities – to ensure that no school is left behind,’ said Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
‘We trust our school leaders to know what their students need. Whether it is more books, better reading nooks, or specific teaching tools, this grant empowers them to build the right environment for their learners with the support of their communities,’ he added.
Instead of a top-down approach, schools will utilize the funds based on their own Literacy Improvement Plans, giving them the autonomy to tailor strategies – including integration with the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program – to their specific community contexts.
To ensure direct classroom impact, recipient schools may use the funds for Grade 1 to 3 literacy interventions identified in their School Improvement Plan and Annual Implementation Plan for SY 2025-2026. These may include:
Developing localized learning resources – printing and binding storybooks featuring local folklore and mother-tongue materials;
Revitalizing learning spaces – converting classrooms into child-friendly reading nooks with carpets, beanbags, and shelving (up to P50,000); and
Procuring remedial tools – purchasing semi-expendable instructional materials such as magnetic letters, flashcards, and reading aids (below P15,000) for after-school programs.
The initiative also activates a ‘whole-of-nation’ support system involving local government units (LGUs), Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs), and civil society organizations.
To access the funds, schools must coordinate with their Local Literacy Councils (LLCs) or Local School Boards (LSBs). Partner organizations such as the Synergia Foundation will help schools work with LLCs and LSBs. Mayors are encouraged to provide counterpart funding through the Special Education Fund (SEF).
Meanwhile, TEIs – including University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology – will serve as academic partners by deploying pre-service teachers to provide on-the-ground literacy instruction and classroom support.
This combined effort – DepEd funding, LGU political will, and TEI technical mentoring – forms the backbone of the Bayang Bumabasa Initiative, strengthening the country’s strategy to ensure that every Filipino learner catches up in reading and literacy skills.