PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday witnessed the signing of a nationwide agreement empowering provincial governments to lead the construction of public school classrooms to address a 145,000-classroom shortage across the country.
Speaking at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang, the President said the partnership between the Department of Education (DepEd) and local government units (LGUs) was designed to speed up delivery by ceding procurement and construction to provinces while the national government sets standards and provides funding.
“We formalized the partnership between the DepEd and the different provinces around the country and it is an effort to make sure that every Filipino student has a safe and decent classroom to learn in,” Mr. Marcos said.
Under the agreement, DepEd will establish technical standards, designs and funding, while the LGUs will handle procurement and construction.
“Under this partnership, the DepEd will set technical standards, provide designs, and supply the funding for these classrooms,” President Marcos said.
The Chief Executive said devolving implementation would reduce delays and improve accountability, noting that local officials are directly answerable to their communities for project quality.
The initiative is backed by the 2026 General Appropriations Act, which allocates P85.39 billion for Basic Education Facilities.
The first tranche totals P9.6 billion, including P4.1 billion for provinces to build about 1,200 classrooms and more than P5 billion for 2,800 prefabricated classrooms to be procured by DepEd. In all, the initial rollout is expected to deliver 4,000 new classrooms nationwide.
He said projects will be subject to a performance-based framework, with no final turnover without written validation from DepEd that standards have been met.
He emphasized transparency to prevent substandard or “ghost” projects.
Beyond classrooms, the administration is also pushing to expand school connectivity.
Mr. Marcos said about 34,000 public schools currently have internet access, but thousands remain unserved or rely on mobile data.
The government aims to connect more than 14,000 additional schools, particularly in remote areas.
He added that learning recovery efforts, including the ARAL Program, are being expanded following early improvements in students’ reading and learning outcomes.
Education will remain the administration’s top priority for the remainder of his term, the president said, calling for sustained cooperation between national and local governments to deliver faster, more visible results for students, teachers, and parents.
