DepEd Launches New Platform to Streamline Private Sector Donations

The Department of Education (DepEd) launched on Thursday its new Adopt-A-School Program (ASP) Platform to streamline private-sector donations amid resource gaps in public schools nationwide. “Many of our fellow Filipinos and private sector partners want to help our schools and learners,” DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said in Filipino in a news release. “What we need to provide is a faster and clearer system so they can become part of the effort to bring about change,” he added. The newly rolled-out platform allows corporate sponsors, civic groups, and private donors to invest in public basic education through transparent project matching, donation tracking, and direct access to tax incentives. It features an expanded menu of investment opportunities aligned with DepEd’s Five-Point Reform Agenda, which aims to invest in teacher quality and support, upgrade school infrastructure and safety, improve education quality, promote evidence-based policymaking, and produce future-ready graduates. The menu also outlines specific priority areas for private funding, including classroom and learning space infrastructure, safe schools initiatives, and work immersion programs for senior high school learners. “We are turning goodwill into concrete investments—building more classrooms, empowering our teachers, and ensuring equitable access for every learner,” Mr. Angara said. Under the Adopt-a-School Act of 1998 and BIR Revenue Regulations No. 13-2025, private entities that donate goods or services to public schools may deduct up to 150% of their donation expenses from their taxable gross income. Donors are encouraged to direct their assistance to any of the 20 poorest provinces identified by the Presidential Council for Countryside Development. Support can focus on staff and faculty development training, construction of school infrastructure and facilities, provision of books, publications, and other instructional materials, and modernization of instructional technologies. “DepEd invites more private companies, non-profit organizations, and civil society organizations to explore priority investment areas and join the movement to elevate public basic education across the country,” the agency said. DepEd currently has 192 active partner organizations supporting the program. — Almira Louise S. Martinez