EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday pushed for an all-sector effort to end the perennial problem of classroom shortage in public schools in the country.
Angara said the DepEd has pushed for more flexibility in tapping additional implementing actors in its school building program, including local government units and private entities in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
He added that this way resources can be matched with the right builders, particularly in far-flung and disaster-prone areas where classrooms are most needed.
“Nagpasok tayo ng Special Provision on flexibility sa 2026 NEP. Dahil madalas ring tumutugon ang DPWH sa mga kalamidad, nais nating bumuo ng pool ng mas maraming implementing actors upang matiyak na magpapatuloy ang mga proyekto nang walang aberya (We included a Special Provision on flexibility in the 2026 NEP. Since the DPWH is also busy responding to other calamities, we want to come up with a pool of more implementing actors so that the school building project will push through without a hitch),” Angara said.
Under the current set-up, DepEd identifies classroom needs, sets design and safety standards, and programs the funds.
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways directly receives the funds and handles the cost estimates, procurement, and actual construction.
“For clarification, even if the budget is initially lodged with DepEd, this is transferred to DPWH, which costs out, builds and pays for the classrooms,” Angara explained.
Angara said LGUs can use their Special Education Fund, while the private sector can contribute through the Public-Private Partnership and Adopt-a-School program.
“Kailangan nating buksan ang pinto para makasali ang LGU, NGO, at iba pang handang tumulong para mapabilis ang pagpapatayo. Ang mahalaga, kung saan may pondo, dapat may marunong at mabilis na tagapagpatayo (We must open the door for LGUs, NGOs, and others who want to help hasten the construction of school buildings. The important thing is that, where we have the funding, there should be a corresponding expertise to fast-track the construction of school buildings),” Angara added.
BY THE NUMBERS
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had earlier emphasized the urgency of the problem in his 4th State of the Nation Address last month, declaring that there is a need to tap the private sector in the construction of 40,000 new classrooms before the end of his administration in 2028.
Last month, Angara said the department is working with the private sector to build 15,000 new classrooms by 2027 to ease congestion in public schools.
Earlier, Angara said the classroom shortage in public schools stood at 165,000 and may take several decades to resolve if the current pace of construction is not addressed.
Angara said that solving the classroom backlog is not just a matter of building more, but “building smarter.”
Angara said the department has drawn up a classroom master plan that uses school-level data, demographic trends, and site assessments to identify urgent needs.
FLOOD RESILIENT
The DepEd, according to Angara, is also adopting “flood-resilient and stilted designs” so learning can continue even in schools hit by seasonal floods or strong typhoons.
Flood-resilient structures will have open ground floors for classrooms or multipurpose halls during dry months, and elevated upper floors that remain usable when water levels rise.
Angara said in coastal and typhoon-prone areas such as the Bicol Region, classrooms will be built on stilts, with reinforced, waterproofed concrete roofing to withstand extreme winds.
Early this year, the DepEd broke ground on the country’s first 12-story public school building in Cebu, designed to withstand severe weather conditions.
The “flood-resilient” school buildings are part of DepEd’s upgraded standard designs meant for flood-prone areas.
DepEd is also updating its national classroom master plan using demographic projections, a prioritization index, and school-level data while consolidating LGU and public-private partnership projects into a central database and seeking 2026 budget provisions to allow more flexibility in assigning implementers.
