Grant expected by Jan. for Bangsamoro child learning

THE World Bank said a P2.75-million project to improving learning outcomes for out-of-school children (OOSC) in Bangsamoro is on track for grant disbursement next month.

The No Bangsamoro Child Left Behind in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao project obtained $2.75 million in funding from the Japan Social Development Fund.

It sought to “improve learning outcomes of re-enrolled OOSC and retained at-risk children in pilot elementary schools in project-supported divisions.”

In a document uploaded to its website, the World Bank said the second implementation support mission was conducted between in October.

“The training on sub-grants proposal making and financial management for school representatives is currently ongoing and school grants are expected to be disbursed in January 2025,” it added.

The bank also rated the project “moderately satisfactory” in terms of meeting its development objective, with a similar rating for overall implementation progress.

Currently, $2.5 million has yet to be disbursed.

The project was approved in May 2023 and is set to close by June 30, 2026.

According to the loan document, the project aims to re-enroll 30% of OOSC by the end of the project , or 6,700 over three years, of which 60% are female.

It also seeks to retain 50% of at-risk children annually or 2,600 over three years. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante