THE MANGAHAS INTERVIEWS

DPWH, DepEd coordinating to address classroom shortage

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Education (DepEd) are coordinating to address the reported shortage of classrooms amid the resumption of face-to-face classes in the country.

In the latest episode of The Mangahas Interviews, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the state agencies were “strategizing” which areas would be prioritized for the construction of school buildings and classrooms.

“We will prioritize ‘yung mga areas, mga bayan na nangangailangan at may shortage ng school building. ‘Yun ang uunahain namin para matugunan agad ang pangangailangan nila lalo na mag face-to-face classes na. I think pinag-uusapan namin ‘yung priority of school building program para matutukan namin ng pansin,” Bonoan said.

(We will prioritize the areas, the localities that need and have a shortage of school buildings. We will start there so we can respond to their needs, especially to resume face-to-face classes. I think we're talking about prioritizing the school building program so we can focus on it.)

The DPWH is set to lead the implementation of the DepEd's school building program (SBP).

Bonoan said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. instructed him to look into “modular classrooms” to address the problem swiftly.

“Naantala kami sa pag-implement ng school building program kasi unang-una ‘yung school sites were used for response for pandemic programs noon,” Bonoan said.

(There was a delay in implementing the school building program because school sites were used in the pandemic response.)

“But this time I think, magkakaroon kami ng full blast implementation ng SBP. As a matter of fact, inutusan ako ni President Marcos na titingin kami ng modular type SBP para mas mabilis ang pag-implement. Basta resilient sa calamities especially dito sa eastern corridors na tinatamaan ng mga bagyo madalas,” he added.

(But this time, I think, we'll have a full blast implementation of SBP. As a matter of fact, President Marcos instructed me to look into modular type buildings for faster implementation. He's okay with it as long as the buildings are resilient against calamities especially if they will be built in the eastern corridors where storms often hit.)

Several schools across the country faced classroom shortages and a lack of teachers as classes for School Year 2022-2023 opened on Monday.

Last week, DepEd Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said the country lacked around 91,000 classrooms, or 10 percent of the classroom requirement based on the department’s inventory of actual classrooms.

DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa, however, said the recent figures already decreased to 40,000 “with the strategies implemented” by the affected schools.

To work around the problem, some schools implemented shifting schedules — one in the morning, and one in the afternoon — while maintaining physical distancing.

Others have to divide a classroom into two, while others opted for blended learning to address the overcrowding of students in each classroom.

According to Poa, part of the DepEd's short-term solutions is coordinating with their regional directors to identify which schools should initially resort to blended learning and shifting schedules. Its long-term plan, on the other hand, is proposing a P86.5 billion budget for 2023 for the reconstruction and repair of these classrooms.

Around 34,000 classrooms will be built with the proposed allocation in 2023, he said. The remaining 6,000 may be built in 2024, if the budget permits for it, he added. — Sundy Mae Locus /DVM, GMA News