The Philippine government will invest P30.56 billion to rebuild and strengthen schools ravaged by recent disasters, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced on May 16.

The funding will support the Infrastructure for Safer and Resilient Schools (ISRS) Project, a five-year initiative designed to ensure the “resilient recovery of disaster-affected schools and reduce disruption in the delivery of education services,” DepEd said.

The project, a key part of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte’s “MATATAG Agenda,” will include some 1,282 schools impacted by disasters between 2019 and 2023. This includes rebuilding or repairing some 4,756 school buildings and some 13,101 classrooms, benefiting an estimated 741,000 students.

“The ISRS project aims to address the need to recover school infrastructures mostly affected by disasters,” DepEd said in a statement.

The initiative will be implemented in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Highways and financed through a loan from the World Bank.

The project has four parts: repairing moderately damaged schools, rebuilding severely damaged schools, managing and monitoring the project, and setting aside a contingency fund for emergencies.

Measures will also be taken to ensure the project’s long-term sustainability, including improvements to procedures and training for DepEd personnel.

The ISRS project will adhere to the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework to minimize environmental and social risks during construction.