The Department of Education (DepEd) is addressing the shortage of classrooms in the country, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara declared on Tuesday.
According to Angara, the Philippines is currently short of around 159,000 classrooms.
“I think, a decade ago it was (around) 75,000. Now it’s 159,000 (shortage),” Angara during a press briefing in Malacañang.
“So, whatever we’re doing it’s not very effective. So, I think, there are things that we should look at in terms of speeding up procurement. Ang tawag nila diyan, Early Procurement Activities or EPA,” he said.
Angara explained that even before the 2025 budget is approved, the government is already looking at school sites that could be funded under the 2025 national budget.
The government is also starting to determine what the school sites can accommodate, Angara said. It will also perform soil testing if a school is going to be a tall building. Legal angles will also be checked while property titles are verified.
Angara noted that several issues come into play when school buildings are being constructed.
“Mababa historically ang tinatawag na obligation rate or disbursement rate or construction rate ng DepEd with classrooms. Because constructing classrooms [is] just a little more complicated than constructing a road. There is more work to be done beforehand,” he said.
Another measure to address the classroom shortage is for DepEd to revive the “Adopt-a-School Program”, which has been proven very effective in mobilizing the private sector due to tax deductions, Angara said.
“Mababawas niya sa kinita niya or sa income tax niya iyong ibibigay niyang classroom, iyong halaga noong ibibigay niyang classroom,” he said.
Angara added the DepEd will be improving the “blended learning.”
“Kasi hindi naman natin magagawa iyong… all these classrooms overnight or in a matter of a few years. Some are talagang… ang laki noong shortage so we want to do the blended learning. So, i-improve namin iyong blended learning,” he said.
Angara noted that some schools have students attending classes only once a week. “So, how is that? If that’s the case, at least during the other days of the week, there should be a proper blended learning setup.” PND
