TECH NEWS | DepEd, Microsoft to give 1M teachers access to Copilot
The partnership follows a nationwide AI-skilling program launched earlier this year by DepEd and Microsoft.
Students in a computer class. Students in front of computers in a computer class. Soft focus
The Department of Education (DepEd) and Microsoft are expanding their partnership to provide 1 million public school teachers access to Microsoft Copilot and strengthen the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Philippine classrooms.
The renewed partnership builds on existing programs in teacher development, digital learning and literacy, with AI tools intended to help educators plan lessons, develop assessments, personalize learning and reduce administrative work.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the initiative is also intended to support learning recovery and prepare students for an increasingly AI-driven environment.
“Our learners deserve an education system that is ready for the future. Through our partnership with Microsoft, we are bringing AI tools to one million Filipino teachers to help them save time, engage learners better, and strengthen teaching in the classroom. More importantly, this partnership will help us support learning recovery and prepare every Filipino child for an AI-driven world,” Angara said.
The partnership follows a nationwide AI-skilling program launched earlier this year by DepEd and Microsoft. The program trained teachers to use Microsoft Copilot Chat, with nearly 75,000 educators attending its flagship training event and more than 175,000 registering.
The National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines extended the program through asynchronous training for registered participants.
Training sessions use classroom scenarios to teach educators how to draft communications, develop curriculum-aligned lesson plans and assessments, and summarize student progress. The program also emphasizes safeguards and responsible AI use, with AI positioned as a teaching aid rather than a replacement for teachers’ professional judgment.
The partnership also includes the use of Microsoft’s Reading Progress and Reading Coach under DepEd’s Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.
The tools are designed to help teachers identify reading difficulties through more frequent oral reading practice and provide information on word recognition, omissions, mispronunciations and reading pace. The data can complement formal assessments such as the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI).
In a 21-week pilot involving 3,431 students across eight regions, the program analyzed 8,381 reading submissions and trained more than 2,100 teachers. Teacher satisfaction reached 91.5%.
Among students who were reassessed during the pilot, 780 showed reading progress. Of these, 319 moved up between Phil-IRI bands, while 461 improved within their existing band.
The results were recognized during the DepEd-Microsoft AI-Powered Learning Initiative Recognition Day, where more than 100 teachers and more than 25 schools were recognized.
Atty. Marcelino Veloso III, DepEd undersecretary for Information and Communications Technology, said technology should help teachers spend more time on instruction and student support.
“Technology at its best serves a clear purpose. It helps us see more, respond faster, and use our time more wisely. When technology helps reduce administrative burden, it gives teachers more space to guide, encourage, and intervene in ways that are thoughtful and human,” Veloso said.
The expanded AI initiative builds on DepEd’s investments in school internet connectivity, information and communications technology equipment, smart classrooms, laptops and other devices for teachers.
Microsoft ASEAN President Mayank Wadhwa said the partnership could help educators save time while preparing students for workplaces where AI is expected to play a greater role.
“By working with DepEd to put Microsoft Copilot in the hands of one million public school teachers, we have an opportunity to help educators save time, strengthen learning, and prepare young Filipinos for a future where AI will be part of every industry and every career,” Wadhwa said.
The renewed partnership aligns with DepEd’s five-point education agenda, including improving learning environments, supporting teacher welfare, making learning delivery more efficient, preparing students for the workforce and addressing emerging education challenges.
Full disclosure: All news articles published on the TechSabado website are written by human journalists, unless otherwise specified. Final text editing is also performed by human editors, with artificial intelligence (AI) used only to assist with additional grammar and style guide corrections..
————————————————————————-
TEN YEARS OF TECHSABADO!
PLEASE LIKE our FACEBOOK PAGE and SUBSCRIBE to OUR YOUTUBE & SPOTIFY channels.
WATCH TECHSABADO ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
WE ARE ALSO ON SPOTIFY
WATCH OUR OTHER YOUTUBE CHANNELS:
PLEASE LIKE our FACEBOOK PAGE and SUBSCRIBE to OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
