PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public of his administration’s continued support to promote the welfare of teachers and students as the new school year opened without major hitches yesterday.
The President, during his visit at the Epifanio Delos Santos Elementary School in Malate, Manila, kicked off the school year 2025-2026 with a short interactive learning session with Grade 1 students, utilizing flashcards and a storytelling event, to promote reading and active participation; and a teleconference with public school teachers from across the country.
He also went around and inspected the elementary school to check the condition and needs of the school.
Marcos assured the public that all government agencies are on board to ensure the school opening would proceed smoothly with no to minimal problems or issues, if any.
“Ipapaalala ko sa inyo na ang buong pamahalaan, lalo na basta sa edukasyon, lahat ng ating departamento hanggang DOH (Department of Health), DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), DOTr (Department of Transportation)… ay nakabantay ngayon sa inyo dahil ito na ang pinakaimportante naming ginagawa (I am reminding you that the entire government, especially when it comes to education—all departments up to the DOH, DSWD, DTI, DOTr…are closely monitoring this because this is our most important job),” he said during the teleconference with teachers and school officials.
Education Secretary Sonny Angra said the opening of classes proceeded without major hitches, though some schools had to adjust to flooding and fire incidents.
PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III also said the opening of classes in public schools proceeded without any major problems.
“We’re ready and you’ve seen that it’s smooth sailing,” Torre told reporters in an ambush interview.
Marcos said the DOH and DSWD will ensure not just the physical health and other immediate medical needs of students are provided, but also ensure they are assisted in case of bullying and cyberbullying and other mental health issues.
He said the DTI is ready to ensure that the school supply needs of students are safe and affordable, while the DOTr ensures that travel using public transportation is also safe and affordable.
The President said that even the PNP is involved in the school opening to ensure the safety of the students, especially outside the schools, noting that there are some CCTVs placed outside some schools being used by the police for monitoring.
Marcos said the departments of Energy (DOE) and Information and Communications Technology (DOCT) are also tasked to ensure power and internet services at schools.
“Sinabihan ko na DICT, sinabi ko na palawakin niyo ang internet coverage. Sa ngayon ang mga eskwelahang may internet lamang ay mga 60 percent, napakababa. Ang problema talaga kuryente. (I told the DICT to expand internet coverage. Right now, only 60 percent of schools have internet access, which is very low. The real problem is electricity),” he said.
“Kaya aayusin natin ng dahan-dahan, makikita natin magiging 100 percent na lahat. Lalo na inuuna namin ‘yung mga tinatawag na GIDA (Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas), ‘yung mga underserved na mga lugar, malalayong ‘yun ang inuuna namin. Mabuti na lang may teknolohiya na para makabuo tayo ng magandang sistema nationally. [We will fix that gradually; we’ll work toward reaching 100 percent coverage. Let’s prioritize GIDAs and underserved places. Fortunately, we now have the technology to do it],” he added.
He also assured the schools that the supply of clean, potable water would be addressed. Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the President had emphasized the need for clean water as well as clean school toilets to ensure the health of students.
The President also said that 20,000 teachers and 10,000 non-teaching personnel are being hired this year, which would help lighten the load of public school teachers and enable them to focus on teaching.
Marcos said teachers would no longer need to do administrative work, which would be left to the non-teaching personnel to handle.
He said 16,000 of the 20,000 teachers have already been hired.
He urged both teaching staff and non-teaching personnel, as well as the students and their parents, to report any issues or problems that they may have observed directly to the DepEd or their local superintendents, to enable the government to immediately act on them.
More than 27 million learners were expected to return to school, mostly public, yesterday, while private schools are set to resume classes within the week.
The DepEd implemented this year the return of the June to March school calendar, which had been changed in the past years due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.
SCHOOL FEEDING
The President said the government would launch the expanded school feeding program in July to help improve the health condition and address the nutritional needs of students.
Marcos said the feeding program was originally being implemented by the DSWD, which is focused on children under the early childhood development program and the first 1000 days program
He said the expanded program would now cover pupils aged 5 years old and older.
SMOOTH OPENING
Angara, in an interview at the Epifanio Delos Santos Elementary School, said the opening of classes was generally “okay and smooth.”
He said the worst report that he received was about the fire at the San Francisco High School in Barangay Santo Cristo, Quezon City, on Sunday, which was already being addressed.
He also said that the water supply and sanitation needs of public schools are being addressed, especially after the President himself raised this concern during his inspection of two public schools in Bulacan last week.
Angara said the DepEd has submitted proposals for the construction of 105,000 classrooms under a public-private partnership arrangement amid concerns for the old dilapidated classroom and school buildings that date back to the time of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the father of the incumbent Chief Executive.
He said this is currently undergoing review by the National Economic and Development Authority – Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC), and if approved, may start the construction by next year.
He previously said that there is a 165,000-classroom gap.
‘NO HITCHES’
Angara, who personally visited several schools along with President Marcos and other officials, said they did not monitor incidents that marred or disrupted the opening of classes.
“Okay naman bagamat may mga tinanggap tayong ilang reklamo pero may hotline naman tayo to address itong mga reklamo at in touch tayo sa ating mga division offices (We are okay, though we received several complaints but we have a hotline to address these complaints and we are in touch with our division offices),” Angara told reporters in a chance interview at the Epifanio Delos Santos Elementary School in Malate, Manila.
“Smooth ang opening of classes. No major incidents monitored so far. The worst is ‘yung sunog sa Quezon City at tinitingnan na natin kung anong agarang solusyon ang puwede nating gawin (The worst is the fire that struck a school in Quezon City but we are already looking for an immediate solution),” he added.
The DepEd said Sunday’s fire that struck the San Francisco High School in Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City, damaged eight academic rooms, armchairs, computer sets and other school supplies, with authorities initially estimating the damages at around P3 million.
Quezon City Schools Division Superintendent Carleen Sedilla said classes are continuing in the school despite the fire.
“Our immediate concern ay mabigyan ng espasyo ang mga bata para hindi maantala ang pag-aaral (Our immediate concern is to provide space for the learners so that their studies will not be hampered),” Sedilla told reporters.
School officials led by Principal Dr. Marissa Lou Rodriguez said they relocated 16 sections to the school’s covered court, eight Grade 10 classes in the morning and eight classes for Grade 8 in the afternoon, for a total of 640 students.
The students will be relocated today, Tuesday, to the DepEd A building, which is currently being utilized by senior high school students.
Floodwaters greeted teachers and students at the Malabon Elementary School in Malabon City after an early morning downpour and high tide the night before.
Principal Rosela Abude said school personnel had to work early to pump out the floodwaters, though some areas outside the school remained submerged.
The school has around 3,200 students, though Abude said they are still accepting late enrollees.
She also assured parents that the classrooms were not affected by the floodwaters.
She added that there were walkways leading to and from the classrooms that students can use.
“Hindi apektado ang classrooms at may mga daanan ang mga bata (The classrooms were not affected and there were walkways that the kids can use),” she said.
OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS
At the President Corazon Aquino Elementary School in Quezon City, school officials and teachers led by Principal Gerry Isip said they are ready for the 8,500 enrolled students for this school year.
The school is one of the largest schools in Quezon City in terms of student population.
To manage the volume of students, the school is implementing morning and afternoon class shifts, with each section having from 35 to 38 learners.
Some of the classrooms are also uncomfortably hot due to the limited number of electric fans.
EDUCATION GAPS
Data from DepEd showed the projected enrollment at 27.6 million, divided into 15.42 million in elementary, 8.01 million in junior high school and 4.17 million in senior high school.
There is also a classroom shortage nationwide of 165,000, and 56,050 teachers.
Nationwide, the DepEd listed 45,199 public schools and 875,514 teachers.
Angara said the department has already hired 16,000 teachers out of the 20,000 positions funded by the Department of Budget and Management under the 2025 General Appropriations Act.
“This is a big deal for us,” the DepEd chief said, adding that student-teacher ratios vary from 1:20 in Kindergarten to 1:40 in higher grades.
He said the new hires will help the DepEd improve the teacher-student gap.
MANAGEABLE
Angala acknowledged that the country is facing a literacy crisis but said the DepEd is doing everything to address the problem, including early grade interventions and support for teachers.
“It has reached crisis levels but is manageable. And I think we have some solutions in place,” he told reporters after he inspecting the Tenement Elementary School in Taguig City.
He said aside from early grade interventions and support for teachers, the DepEd is also working closely with local government units such as Taguig City to improve learning conditions and the school infrastructure.
“Very helpful ang local governments, ang legislators, even the private partners. May mga maraming tumutulong (The local government units, the legislators, even the private partners are very helpful. Many are helping us),” he said, adding that the Taguig city government was very helpful to the local education in addressing issues that cropped up even before the school opening.
He said such collaboration is being replicated in other LGUs outside of Metro Manila
ADMIN STAFF
Angara said 10,000 administrative personnel will be hired this year under the 2025 GAA to allow teachers to focus on their teaching duties, and not on clerical or administrative tasks.
“Nakita naman natin pag nakapokus ang mga teacher sa pagtuturo may resulta Talaga (When teachers are focused on teaching, we can clearly see the results),” he said.
He said the DepEd wants all public schools to have their administrative personnel by next year.
“Lahat ng mga eskwelahan sa buong Pilipinas ay magkakaroon na ng administrative officers by the end of 20216. Napakalaking bagay na ito para sa ating mga eskwelahan, teachers at mga bata (All public schools in the Philippines will have their own administrative officers by the end of 2026. This will contribute a lot to our schools, teachers and students),” he said.
EARLY GRADE LEARNERS
Angara said the DepEd is focusing on early-grade learners, especially after the gap in learning, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where schools were forced to suspend in-person learning to limit the spread of the dreaded virus.
“Sila ‘yung kawawa dahil wala silang interaction sa mga teachers noong panahon ng pandemic,” he said of learners in the Kindergarten classes, adding that the effect of the pandemic-induced learning loss is still felt today, long after health authorities declared the pandemic over.
Angara said the DepEd, for the second year in a row, has launched summer reading and learning programs to close the said learning gap.
LGUs RESPONSIBLE
In a related development, Angara reiterated that local government units are now responsible for announcing the suspension of classes due to bad weather conditions in their respective jurisdictions.
“Hindi na sa amin po ‘yang class suspension, nasa local governments,”Angara said.
(The suspension of classes is no longer with us; it is with the local governments).
Previously, automatic suspension guidelines were followed—for example, kinder classes would be canceled with just a Signal No. 1 warning.
But under the new policy, Angara said schools and LGUs have more discretion since they know the actual weather conditions in their areas.
“Dati ‘pag naglabas ng Signal No. 1, cancel kaagad ang Kinder. Iniba na natin ’yan. Depende na sa actual weather condition sa bawat lugar,” Angara added.
(Before, when Signal No.1 was issued, Kindergarten classes were suspended immediately. But we already changed that. It now depends on the actual weather conditions in a given locality).
He said this would also avoid unnecessary disruptions in classes, especially in areas where weather conditions are manageable.
Angara said the DepEd is working to construct flood-resistant schools through elevated school design in flood-prone areas of the country.
NO MAJOR PROBLEMS
Torre visited several schools in Quezon City to check on police efforts to secure students and teachers during the class opening.
What the PNP monitored, Torre said, was the excitement of students to return to schools.
“We just let them enjoy their first day of classes (for the school year),” said Torre.
Torre assured the parents of students that their children will be safe.
“We’re assuring them that the environment will be orderly and peaceful,” said Torre.
Torre noted that the PNP has stepped up its presence in the vicinity of the schools.
Maj. Hazel Asilo, spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office, said the opening of classes across Metro Manila was peaceful.
“The first day of classes (in Metro Manila) was generally peaceful,” said Asilo.
To criminals who might be planning to victimize students, Torre said: “We’re warning them not to take advantage (of the students) for their selfish interests.”
Torre said students are “soft targets,” noting that their minds are “very malleable, (and) very pliant” because they are still children.
“We have one goal why we’re sending our children to schools: to learn what is right,” said Torre, adding: “It is not acceptable for criminals to target them.”
EPD DEPLOYMENT
The Eastern police district (EPD) deployed over 535 personnel across Metro East to ensure public safety, maintain order, and assist students, parents, and educators during the school opening.
In support of the DepEd’s annual school opening initiative, the EPD mobilized its forces across Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina and San Juan, focusing on securing school zones, managing traffic flow, and providing police assistance to the school premises.
EPD’s deployment also included coordination with local government units, barangay officials, and school administrators to ensure comprehensive security coverage.
Assistance Desks will be activated in key school areas, providing immediate support to the public. – With Ashzel Hachero, Victor Reyes and Christian Oineza
