THE United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Acting Administrator Gloria Steele recently congratulated participants of the 14th Philippine National Education Summit for achieving landmark national-policy reforms that have improved education governance through a partnership.
During her keynote address, Steele noted that nearly 3 million early grade-school learners in the Philippines benefited from USAID’s Education Governance Effectiveness (EdGE) program with Synergeia Foundation Inc.
With support from USAID, Synergeia organized the two-day summit, which saw the attendance of more than 700 local government chief executives, teachers, education administrators, parents, students and officials from the executive and legislative branches of the Philippine government.
More than 14,000 teachers and 18,000 local officials, education administrators and parent-teacher associations have received training under EdGE. Additionally, the partnership strengthened local school boards, village-level school-governing and regional-education councils which allocated resources and shared best practices, leading to improved education outcomes.
“Governors, mayors and other local champions understand the unique conditions of their communities, and are in the best position to lead in solving their own development challenges, given the right opportunity,” Steele said from the USAID Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Steele served as USAID Philippines Mission Director from 2010 to 2015. She designed and launched this partnership in 2013. The Filipino-American returned to the American capital in 2015 to serve as the agency’s acting assistant administrator for Asia. She became USAID’s acting administrator in January 2021.
Aside from international development, USAID is the lead US government agency and humanitarian assistance.