Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara said Tuesday they are seeking to overhaul the system for classroom construction by involving local government units (LGUs) and exploring public-private partnerships (PPPs) to address the severe shortage of school buildings nationwide.
“Since 2018, only the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been given the authority to build DepEd classrooms,” Angara said in an ambush interview in Malacañang.
“We want to include the provinces, cities, and even capable first- and second-class municipalities so the process can move faster,” he added.
Angara linked the slow progress in school building construction to shifting priorities within DPWH.
“It seems they got too focused on flood control projects,” Angara said. “Let the chips fall where they may, but classroom construction stopped being a priority.”
Angara expressed confidence in the leadership of incumbent DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, saying he expects the construction process to accelerate under Dizon’s management.
“In fairness to Secretary Vince, he’s new but we’ve already seen improvements in DPWH’s disaster response. I believe things will move faster,” Angara said.
Citing Senate data, Angara noted that only 22 classrooms have been completed, with about 900 still pending construction.
The education chief said the country needs “close to 100,000 or even more than 150,000” new classrooms to meet current demand.
“If we rely solely on one agency, we won’t be able to meet that target,” he said.
To help close the gap, Angara said DepEd is proposing a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) approach to hasten the creation of classrooms.
“That program built 14,000 classrooms because instead of bidding for one building at a time, we bid out a thousand classrooms simultaneously. It’s a large-scale approach that speeds up construction,” he said.
Angara affirmed that DepEd remains committed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s goal of building 40,000 classrooms before the end of his term.
In a separate statement posted on its official social media account, the DepEd also appealed for the reinstatement of its budget for the construction of classrooms.
It reiterated that the 22 classrooms delivered by DPWH under the previous leadership was unacceptable, considering its massive resources.
“Enough with the excuses. This 2026, the Department of Education will turn over classroom funds to local government units (LGUs), the AFP Corps of Engineers, or the private sector,” the DepEd said.
