SOME $94 million or P4 billion worth of projects under the Department of Education (DepEd) will be affected by US President Donald Trump's move to suspend programs under the United States Agency for International Development (USAid).
In a radio interview, Education Assistant Secretary for Strategic Management Roger Masapol said some of the projects that would be affected by the planned USAid shutdown include the ABC+ or Advancing Basic Education Plus program, which would improve literacy, numeracy and social and emotional learning for kindergarten to Grade 3 students.
Also affected would be the Opportunity 2.0 program for alternative learning system, the "Improving Learning Outcomes for the Philippines," which would aid the department in developing an assessment framework and policy, as well as the Gabay project for learners with special needs and the Urban Connect program for gender and development.
Masapol said these programs were in line with the five-point agenda of Education Secretary Sonny Angara to improve the basic education program.
He said while the funding from the USAid is suspended, they would look into using continuing funds to allow these projects to continue. He added that he was hopeful that these projects would continue after the 90-day suspension of USAid is over.
He said, however, that it was disheartening that these programs that had already taken off could be affected by Trump's order.
Masapol said that USAid is one of the longest-running partners of the department in improving basic education programs in the country.
USAid on Tuesday announced it was placing its staff in the United States and around the world on administrative leave as it moved to recall employees from overseas postings.
The agency said in a statement on its website — which reappeared Tuesday after going dark over the weekend — that the staff leave will begin shortly before midnight on Feb. 7.
The administrative leave will hit "all USAid direct hire personnel... with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs."
"Thank you for your service," the statement read.
The move is part of Trump's — and his billionaire ally Elon Musk's — radical drive to shrink the US government, which has shocked Washington and caused angry protests from Democrats and the human rights community.
The aid arm of US foreign policy, USAid funds health and emergency programs in around 120 countries, including the world's poorest regions.
It is seen as a vital source of soft power for the United States in its struggle for influence with rivals, including China, where Musk has extensive business interests.
Musk has called USAid "a viper's nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America" and has vowed to shut it down.
Among other criticisms, which Musk has not substantiated, he claims USAid does "rogue CIA work" and even "funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people."
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO — who has massive contracts with the US government and was the biggest financial backer of Trump's campaign — said he had personally cleared the unprecedented move with the president.
The assault on USAid comes in the context of long-running narratives on the hard-line conservative and libertarian wings of the Republican Party that the United States wastes money on foreigners while ignoring Americans.
The agency describes itself as working "to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing our security and prosperity."
As of 2023, the most recent year for which full data was available, the top three recipients of aid from USAid were Ukraine, Ethiopia and Jordan, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Other top recipients of aid included the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Syria.000
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This is really interesting, You're a very skilled blogger. I've…
Written by Merrill
on Thursday, 24 March 2016 12:35
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