MANILA, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank said on Saturday that it has approved 500 million U.S. dollars in funding to repair schools in the Philippines affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes and tropical cyclones.
The bank said the Infrastructure for Safer and Resilient Schools Project fund is designed to support the resilient recovery of disaster-affected schools in selected regions of the country. Resilient recovery means improving schools' abilities to continue their functions after natural disasters.
This project will finance the repair, rehabilitation, retrofitting, reconstruction and site improvements of schools severely affected by earthquakes and tropical cyclones in recent years. These interventions will enhance physical learning environments for over 700,000 students, with girls making up half the beneficiaries.
The project will prioritize areas where school infrastructure damage and risk are greatest.
It will also support improving the Department of Education's operations and maintenance manual and tools, ensuring that central and local level education authorities have up-to-date protocols and information for operating and maintaining restored school infrastructure. ■