Only 10 out of DepEd's target 5K classrooms built in 2020

There were only 10 new classrooms built in the country out of the over 5,000 target of the Department of Education (DepEd) for 2020, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday.

"To date, I inquired from DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), they only built, so far, 10 classrooms," he said during the budget debates for DepEd's proposed P562 billion budget for 2021.

The agency targets to build 5,174 classrooms for 2020, based on the data shown by the senator.

In 2019, only 180 out of the target 4,580 were built; and in 2018, only 11 out of the target 28,170 were constructed.

"It's not really the fault of DepEd but the absorptive capacity of the DPWH, in so far as building classrooms, is highly questionable. It seems to me, it takes them about two years to build classrooms from start to end," he said.

"Indeed this year, they only received the DepEd funds last June and it took them close to about three or four months from getting the funds to bidding and constructing. Hence, they only have ten classrooms to date," he added.

Senator Pia Cayetano, sponsor of DepEd's budget, said the fund for basic education facilities were decreased from P29.5 billion in the 2020 General Appropriations Act to P14 billion in the Senate Finance Committee report. -- BAP, GMA News