The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will deploy around 240,000 TUPAD workers nationwide to help prepare public schools for the opening of classes on June 8.
The partnership integrates DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged (TUPAD) Workers program into Brigada Eskwela 2026, providing temporary jobs while supporting school readiness efforts for School Year 2026–2027.
Under the agreement, DOLE has allocated around P2 billion for the program, which will support cleaning, repair, and other preparatory work in public schools.
Priority will be given to qualified parents, siblings, guardians, and relatives of learners, subject to existing TUPAD guidelines and validation procedures.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the initiative would help schools prepare for the return of students while giving families additional income for school-related needs.
“Habang tumutulong silang ihanda ang mga silid-aralan para sa pasukan, nagkakaroon din sila ng dagdag na kita na maaaring magamit sa baon, gamit pang-eskwela, at iba pang pangangailangan ng kanilang pamilya,” Angara said.
Acting Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino said the program links emergency employment with community service, allowing beneficiaries to help clean, repair, and improve schools while earning temporary income.
TUPAD workers may be assigned to classroom cleaning, waste management, hauling of furniture and learning materials, vegetation clearing, landscaping, repainting, and other non-technical campus improvement tasks.
The deployment will prioritize large schools, including Mega, Extremely Large, Very Large, and Large campuses, as well as schools in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, underserved communities, and disaster-affected locations.
Beneficiaries may be deployed for up to 10 days during Brigada Eskwela and other preparatory activities before the school opening.
School heads, in coordination with DOLE, will supervise the workers on campus. DOLE will handle the selection and validation of beneficiaries, as well as the payment of wages and other labor-related benefits.
DepEd and DOLE said the initiative reflects a whole-of-government approach to school preparedness, employment generation, community participation, and learner welfare.