Quezon city: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday inaugurated the Department of Education's (DepEd) flagship umbrella program for all Artificial Intelligence (AI)-related initiatives to promote responsible technological advancement and deliver accessible, quality education. The project, dubbed Project AGAP.AI (Accelerating Governance and Adaptive Pedagogy through Artificial Intelligence), aims to raise awareness of DepEd's efforts in using and integrating AI in basic education, as well as encourage support from the stakeholders to promote AI literacy.
According to Philippines News Agency, Project AGAP.AI underscores DepEd's commitment to the Quality Basic Education Development Plan 2025 - 2035 through a multi-stakeholder collaboration, guided by the Bagong Pilipinas vision and the ASEAN Vision 2045. Marcos said the initiative aims to bridge the gap between technology and education, stressing that learning must evolve in tandem with global changes. He emphasized the importance of AI in education, stating that it prepares institutions to keep pace with technology and ensures every Filipino benefits from new technologies.
President Marcos reminded students to use AI for learning, but emphasized that the technology should never replace their drive, creativity, and grit to learn. The operationalization of Project AGAP.AI involves a framework geared towards a responsible and human-centered approach in the integration of AI in basic education, comprising three key pillars: AI in Education, Education on AI, and AI for Education Systems.
With support from the ASEAN Foundation and Google.org, the DepEd will roll out a funded AI skills training program reaching 1.05 million learners, 300,000 teachers, and 150,000 parents. This national AI training program consists of 12-session capacity-building sessions focusing on AI fundamentals, usage and implementation, ethics, privacy and security, and teaching about AI.
The DepEd is collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIT Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (MIT RAISE), and Day of AI, to integrate AI concepts into the basic education curriculum. The initiative aims to strengthen learners' AI literacy, computational thinking, and digital innovation skills in collaboration with local and international education and technology partners.
The DepEd, in collaboration with MIT RAISE and Day of AI, is expected to develop AI-focused in-service training (INSET) modules by the second quarter of 2026 to enhance teachers' capacity to integrate AI concepts into instruction. These modules would promote responsible AI use, digital innovation, and 21st-century pedagogical practices in the classroom.
Additionally, the DepEd plans to pilot and adopt new AI-powered tools and platforms to improve teaching, learning, assessment, and school operations. This includes innovations developed by the Education Center for AI Research (ECAIR) and the Digital Education Council (DEC), which support data-driven and evidence-based decision-making across the education system.
