MANILA -- The World Bank said Saturday it has approved a $110 million loan to finance a project aiming to boost education quality in the southern Philippines.

The multilateral lender said nearly 2 million elementary school students from kindergarten to grade 6, as well as over 60,000 teachers and school administrators in three poor regions in western Mindanao, will benefit from the new project.

The coaching program will concentrate on enhancing literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills for the students, particularly emphasizing peace-building, gender-sensitive instruction, climate and disaster resilience, and inclusive education.

The project will also deliver professional development opportunities to teachers and school administrators and supervisors. Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, noted that the project is part of the multilateral lender's continuing support to boost human capital in the Philippines.

In the past decade, the Philippines has increased investments in basic education and seen improvements in enrolment. However, learning outcomes remained weak, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenge.