MARAWI CITY – The United States continues to aid Philippine education as it donated 36,000 books for at least 50 libraries of the various campuses of the Mindanao State University and public schools, a university official said.

Dr. Macapado Muslim, MSU president, said the donation was made through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its program, Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Education Awareness Support Effort and the Children International Foundation (CIF).

A non-government organization in the US, the Kansas-based CIF, collects books donated by the American people and donates these books to different schools in several countries worldwide, including the Philippines.

US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney and Jon Linborg, USAID mission director, led Embassy officials in the ceremonial distribution of books to recipient schools at the Datu Benasing Macarambon Hall of MSU Main Campus here with Dr. Muslim as head recipient and Dr. Maria Luisa Mutia, Lanao Norte schools division superintendent.

Others present during the rites were Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana, head of Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo); Robert Barnes, USAID economic growth advisor; MSU vice president for administration and finance, Department of Education district supervisor Hadja Maisara Omaca-an and Dr. Zenaida Ababa, MSU vice president for academic affairs.

“We are grateful to the American people for their generous donation of books which would greatly help in educating our children here in Mindanao. Certainly, education is key to peace, unity, economic progress and development,” Muslim said.

Muslim cited this latest aid as timely in the wake of the terrible inadequacy of books and other library resources plaguing the feeder high schools of MSU and the secondary and elementary public schools run by the Department of Education (DepEd).