Over 165,000 additional classrooms are needed nationwide to tackle the overcrowding crisis in public schools.
“The way I see it, the problem right now is the red tape, the bureaucracy. The paperwork, delays, and miscoordination within DepEd (Department of Education) and DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways),” said Senator Gatchalian during a hearing on school infrastructure.
Gatchalian, co-chair of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), discussed the growing classroom backlog and the persistent underutilization of the Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) with officials from DPWH and DepEd.
As of January 2024, DepEd estimates that 165,443 additional classrooms are required nationwide.
A recent Commission on Audit report revealed that only 192 out of the target 6,379 classrooms slated for completion in 2023 were built, highlighting significant delays in school infrastructure projects.
Currently, only 30% of the country’s 323,378 school buildings are in good condition, with CARAGA, CAR, and Region X having the highest percentage of school buildings in this category.
Appropriations for the BEFF have steadily declined, plummeting to just P5.95 billion in 2022 due to persistent underutilization.
Delayed inter-agency coordination between DepEd and DPWH has further exacerbated the backlog in classroom construction.
DepEd Director for Education Programs Management Office Tara Rama emphasized steps to address the classroom backlog, such as prioritizing schools with makeshift structures and partially addressing schools with high classroom shortages.
She also pointed out the newly created “Planning, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation Strand” within the department to prioritize new constructions for possible Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), Joint Venture Agreements, development partnerships, and multilateral grants.
EDCOM 2 co-chair Rep. Roman Romulo suggested exploring strategies to leverage the expertise and resources of the private sector to address both classroom shortages and maintenance issues.
Kristina Armengol from the Public-Private Partnership Center supported this initiative, stating that private partners can handle repair and maintenance even after the turnover of school facilities.
