“With student numbers rising each year, classes exceed recommended sizes, further straining teacher capacity and diluting student attention”
The new school year (SY 2025–2026) has begun, with approximately 27 million students enrolled from Kindergarten to Senior High School – this is “a few thousand higher” from last year’s total, according to Education Assistant Secretary for Operations Jocelyn Andaya.
For decades and successive administrations, familiar strains confront the public education system: dilapidated buildings, aging textbooks and a severe shortage of teaching spaces that threatens to undermine every student’s right to a proper education.
Data from the Department of Education paints a stark picture: the country is short by approximately 165,000 classrooms, a deficit that Secretary Sonny Angara warns would take 55 years to resolve at the current budget and construction pace.
With student numbers rising each year, classes exceed recommended sizes, further straining teacher capacity and diluting student attention.
Public schools have to manage these gaps with ad hoc repairs and community-driven interventions, yet goodwill alone cannot replace sound infrastructure.
An average classroom now costs between ₱2 million and ₱2.5 million, estimates from DepEd officials show, but funding shortfalls and bureaucratic delays leave many projects stalled.
Against this backdrop, private sector stakeholders have stepped forward with targeted interventions: corporations underwriting modular classroom units, foundations installing solar-powered computer labs, NGOs donating digital libraries and private schools opening their doors to relieve overcrowding. These initiatives demonstrate the private sector’s readiness to invest in education.
To address this gap, last December, the DepEd signed a $1 million Technical Assistance Agreement with the PPP Center, aimed at accelerating the design and construction of 15,000 sustainable, tech-enabled classrooms in the coming year.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the government to strengthen public-private partnerships and expand the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education voucher programs.
A key development comes from the Private Education Assistance Committee’s proposal to amend Republic Act 8545, extending the Educational Service Contracting scheme to include kindergarten and elementary levels.
Under the suggested amendment, DepEd would subsidize tuition and fees for K–6 learners enrolled in accredited private institutions, tapping into underutilized capacities in private schools to ease the congestion in public elementary classrooms while opening the opportunity for qualified students to benefit from the quality of private school facilities and education standards.
Education advocates stress that this expansion aligns with the Enhanced Basic Education Act and the K–12 curriculum’s goals, bringing support to children at their most formative stages.
By broadening ESC, the government will cost effectively leverages private school facilities and expertise while directing public funding toward underserved areas and critical maintenance projects.
Operationalizing the planned one-stop digital portal that simplifies accreditation and application procedures, clear guidelines for co-financing infrastructure projects, and incentive packages—such as tax breaks or matching grants—will attract long-term private commitments.
These steps would foster transparency, reduce red tape and encourage deeper collaboration between DepEd, private entities and local government units.
As President Marcos Jr. joins advocates in vowing to reverse the learning crisis within his term, the reality is that government cannot tackle these entrenched challenges alone.
The private sector has already demonstrated its significant role in elevating educational standards—whether by funding innovative classroom designs, supplying state-of-the-art learning content, or offering professional development programs for teachers.
Strengthening public-private partnerships is a strategic imperative if we are to deliver quality education that meets the demands of the fast evolving, technology driven, and interconnected global ecosystem.
What bridges ambition and achievement is a clear framework for lasting collaboration.
By setting out straightforward co-investment guidelines, building incentive structures, and creating a single digital portal for DepEd, LGUs, and private partners, we can turn isolated efforts into coordinated progress.
Schools would gain timely access to infrastructure and expertise, while companies and foundations could see exactly how their contributions translate into better classrooms and stronger learning outcomes.
The private sector isn’t just a stopgap for underfunded schools—it’s a ready partner with the resources and drive to make a real difference.
With targeted support and open channels for partnership, businesses and foundations can help build inspiring learning spaces, equip teachers with new tools, and ensure every child has room to grow. We must seize this chance to forge a true public-private alliance, or risk another generation left behind because of promising initiatives that never delivered results.
As the school year unfolds, let us heed the lesson that education reform demands collective resolve.
Our children deserve more than temporary fixes; they deserve a robust partnership model—rooted in societal commitment—that turns vision into reality.
By strengthening public-private collaboration now, we can build the classrooms of tomorrow and ensure that every Filipino learner has the foundation they need to succeed.