The Department of Education (DepEd) has received ₱65 billion for the construction of nearly 25,000 new classrooms by 2026, the largest target since 2020. This is part of the ₱1.015 trillion budget for education, the first time the country has reached the UNESCO benchmark in education spending.
Of the total funds, ₱85.3 billion is allocated for construction and renovation of classrooms. Of this, ₱65 billion is for new classrooms and ₱7.7 billion is for the repair of old buildings. According to Education Secretary Sonny Angara, the DepEd aims to improve the quality of education, facilities, and support for teachers, along with faster and more transparent implementation.
However, a major problem remains with the classroom backlog, estimated at 148,000 classrooms, and continuing to grow as enrollment growth outpaces construction. In recent years, the actual number of classrooms completed has fallen far short of the target, making it difficult to catch up with the shortage.
One of the main issues is bottlenecks in implementation—from planning delays, failed biddings, to cost mismatch between DepEd and DPWH. While the DPWH's base cost per classroom is ₱3.5 million, the DepEd budget is only ₱2.5 million, causing a funding gap and project delays.
According to EDCOM II, approximately ₱105 billion per year is needed to keep up with the demand of 12,000 new classrooms annually. At the current rate, it could take more than 20 years before the shortage is completely resolved. This shows that not only larger funds are needed, but better data, coordination, and systems for implementation.
