EDUCATION stakeholders and private sector partners from across Mindanao gathered in Davao City on Tuesday, August 11, as the Department of Education in Davao Region (DepEd-Davao) hosted the region's leg of the 2026 Adopt-A-School Program (ASP) Caravan, according to a post on its official Facebook page.
DepEd said the gathering drew personnel from the department's five Mindanao-based regional offices — Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and Caraga — along with officials from national government agencies and prospective private sector partners.
A key highlight of the caravan, DepEd said, was the launch of the ASP Platform, an online system meant to connect schools' specific needs directly with willing partners. The platform lists what individual schools require, allowing companies, civic groups, or private donors to decide whether to help through cash support, learning materials, equipment, or infrastructure projects.
The agency described the event as part of a shift in the program's approach — moving away from one-off donations toward longer-term, targeted partnerships.
Sessions during the caravan tackled specific concerns such as securing school campuses, upgrading facilities, supporting learners, and developing teachers, among other priorities raised by school communities, DepEd said.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) also joined the caravan to present their own investment menus, in line with DepEd's push for closer coordination across basic, technical, and tertiary education.
The Mindanao caravan builds on recent ASP-linked support already extended to schools in Davao City. Tugbok Central Elementary School, T. Awad Echevarria Elementary School, and Paradise Embac Elementary School, all in Davao City, recently received 128 digital tablets and three years of internet connectivity through a partnership among DepEd-Davao, Alsons Development and Investment Corporation, and Khan Academy Philippines, all under the same program.
DepEd is encouraging schools, local government units, and private organizations in Mindanao to explore the ASP platform to identify ways they can support public schools in the region. GRS
