Early procurement, adopt-a-school, blended learning to address the shortage of classrooms

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 currently needs around 159,000 classrooms.

“I think, a decade ago, it was (around) 75,000. Now it’s 159,000 (shortage),” Angara said 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.

Angara said the government is also determining what the school sites can accommodate. If a school is going to be a tall building, it will also perform soil testing. Legal angles will also be checked while property titles are verified.

Angara noted 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 that DepEd will be improving “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 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, there should be a proper blended learning setup at least during the other days of the week.”