Alfredo Tolentino

The Department of Education (DepEd) has credited its feeding interventions as a key factor behind improved reading outcomes and high attendance rates in its 2025 summer learning programs, highlighting the essential connection between child nutrition and academic performance.


In a summary report, DepEd underscored the vital role of food support, like snacks, hot meals, and small incentives, in sustaining learner attendance and focus throughout the Bawat Bata Makababasa Program (BBMP) and the National Learning Camp (NLC) summer programs.

“Ang pagkain ay hindi lang insentibo, ito ay pundasyon ng pagkatuto. Kapag may lakas ang katawan, mas handa ang bata sa pagbabasa, pakikinig, at pag-unawa,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized.

BBMP is a 20-day foundational reading tutorial initiative targeting early-grade learners from Grades 1-3. 

The program accommodated over 70,000 student participants with an average attendance rate of 80.83 percent over its five-week implementation. 

DepEd also noted that schools that offered snacks and rewards during the BBMP program reported better learner participation, reduced absenteeism, and increased engagement. 

Post-program evaluations of BBMP showed a 32.8 percent increase in Grade 3 learners reading at grade level in Filipino, and 26.04 percent in English, alongside a significant drop in the number of “low emerging” readers.

NLC, on the other hand, is a 15-day enrichment and remedial program focused on reading and math.

The program reached over 1.13 million learners across 157 school divisions. 

Under the NLC program, all participants received daily hot meals and nutritious snacks, an approach DepEd said was crucial in ensuring consistent attendance and better engagement.

Field reports from DepEd regional offices also indicated that the food assistance was distributed in various forms, whether school-based, home-distributed, or facilitated by local government units (LGUs).

Some LGUs also supported distribution logistics, while schools incorporated feeding directly into instructional time.

Private sector partners likewise contributed significantly, with companies, foundations, and civic groups donating snacks, hygiene kits, and reading materials. 

DepEd said the summer learning initiatives not only supported reading gains but also aligned with the broader agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on learning recovery and child nutrition.

“(The summer programs) are designed to provide the necessary support and resources to help learners overcome challenges and achieve their full potential,” Angara said in an April 2025 statement.

While the DepEd lauded the early successes of the programs, it also highlighted the need for continuous evaluation and sustained support to address deeper learning gaps among early-grade learners.