DepEd, Microsoft Partner to Equip 1 Million Teachers with Copilot

The Department of Education (DepEd) and Microsoft are expanding their long-standing partnership to integrate artificial intelligence into Philippine public education, with Microsoft committing to provide one million public school teachers access to Microsoft Copilot.

Announced on August 27, 2026, the renewed collaboration aims to help transform teaching and learning across the country and position the Philippines as a frontier education economy in the AI era. The partnership is aligned with DepEd’s five-point education agenda and its goal of building a modern, resilient, and globally competitive education system.

Microsoft Copilot will serve as a practical tool for teachers, assisting them in lesson planning, personalizing learning experiences, reducing administrative workload, and using timely insights to provide more responsive support to students. By automating routine tasks, the technology is expected to free up more time for meaningful classroom instruction and stronger student engagement.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara underscored the significance of the initiative. “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,” he said.

The expanded partnership builds on years of collaboration between DepEd and Microsoft in foundational literacy, teacher development, and digital learning. Two ongoing initiatives already demonstrate how AI tools can be applied at scale in Philippine classrooms.

Earlier in 2026, DepEd and Microsoft launched a nationwide AI skilling program to train teachers in the practical and responsible use of Microsoft Copilot Chat, the company’s secure AI-powered assistant. The flagship training event attracted nearly 75,000 live attendees, while total registrations exceeded 175,000 educators. The strong demand prompted DepEd’s National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) to extend the program through asynchronous training for registered participants. Teachers learned how to draft communications, create curriculum-aligned lesson plans and assessments, and summarize student progress more efficiently, while applying responsible-use safeguards so that AI remains a teaching aid rather than a replacement for professional judgment.

A second initiative focuses on literacy recovery. Under DepEd’s Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, Microsoft’s Reading Progress and Reading Coach tools are helping teachers identify reading gaps earlier and intervene more quickly. In a 21-week pilot, the program reached 3,431 students across eight regions, analyzed 8,381 reading submissions, and trained more than 2,100 teachers. Overall teacher satisfaction stood at 91.5 percent.

Of the students who were re-assessed, 780 showed reading progress 319 moved up between Phil-IRI bands, while another 461 improved within their existing band. These within-band gains allow teachers to adjust instruction within the same week rather than waiting for the next formal assessment cycle. The results were recognized during a DepEd–Microsoft AI-Powered Learning Initiative Recognition Day, where more than 100 teachers and over 25 schools were acknowledged.

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Atty. Marcelino Veloso III, Undersecretary for Information and Communications Technology, emphasized the human purpose behind the technology. “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,” he said.

The partnership also builds on DepEd’s broader digitalization efforts, including investments in school internet connectivity, ICT equipment, smart classrooms, and devices for teachers. Microsoft Copilot, nationwide AI skilling, and data-driven literacy tools add a new layer of capability to these foundations. In doing so, the collaboration supports DepEd’s five-point education agenda: creating enabling learning environments, improving teacher welfare, ensuring efficient learning delivery, preparing a future-ready workforce, and addressing emerging challenges such as learning recovery through responsible and secure AI adoption.

Mayank Wadhwa, President of Microsoft ASEAN, framed the initiative within the company’s global mission. “At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. In the Philippines, there is no more important place to bring that mission to life than in education.

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. We are grateful for DepEd’s continued trust and committed to helping build an education system where every teacher and learner can thrive in the AI era,” he said.

Through this long-term commitment, DepEd and Microsoft aim to set a new benchmark for education in the Philippines and across the region one in which AI tools enhance, rather than replace, the essential work of teachers and help every learner prepare for an AI-enabled future.