PASIG CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) have signed an agreement extending the implementation of the Aflatoun Program.

At the simple signing ceremony, Education Secretary Edgardo Angara and NATCCO Chief Executive Officer Sylvia O. Paraguya 

The Aflatoun Program is NATCCO’s flagship program to reach out to the Youth.  Co-signatory in the Agreement is Amsterdam-based Stichting Aflatoun International (SAI) represented by CEO Roeland Monasch.  SAI is a non-governmental organization focusing on educating children about their rights and responsibilities and managing financial resources.

Under the Program, primary cooperatives partner with schools to teach children on the United Nations Rights of the Child and financial literacy within the context of cooperatives.

NATCCO’s Aflatoun Team trains teachers on how to integrate the UN Rights of the Child and financial literacy in their curriculum or daily lesson plans.  School children are encouraged to set aside a small portion of their allowances every day, and a representative from the co-op collects and records the amounts, and deposits the funds in a special savings account in the cooperative.

The student may withdraw the deposit upon graduation, or he/she may choose to become a co-op member and retain the deposit.

The Agreement cited as legal bases Article 14 Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, Republic Act 10679 or the Youth Entrepreneurship Act, Republic Act 10922 on the Economic and Financial Literacy Act, RA 8525 or the “Adopt-a-School Act of 1998”, as well as DepEd Orders.

The agreement states the DepEd will assist and evaluate the implementation of the Program, and help identify beneficiary schools, and review teaching guides and materials.  

SAI will fund the Program, provide DepEd with regular reports, and select and identify target areas and schools.  

NATCCO Network designates a team to implement the program nationwide, train teachers, provide DepEd with regular reports, assist in fundraising, and generally take the lead in the Program implementation.

The Agreement extends the implementation until 2028.

The Aflatoun Program has made a significant impact on children.

There are 158 partner cooperatives implementing the Program in their cities or municipalities, engaging with 2,141 schools.  The NATCCO Team has trained 8,449 teachers, who are crucial to the success of the program.  

The Program is currently reaching out to 1.54 million children, 461,420 of whom are active Aflatoun savers.

The Aflatoun savings of the children nationwide, as of December 2024, amounts to Php 601 Million.