VP Sara Duterte admits construction, repair of classrooms 'not enough'

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Thursday said thousands of classrooms were built and repaired last year, but lamented that much still needs to be done in order address the decades-long problem of inadequate school facilities.

In her presentation of the second Basic Education Report (BER), Duterte noted that a total of 3,637 new classrooms were constructed last year, 6,203 were in various stages of construction, while 811 were under procurement.

"By the end of the first semester of 2024, we hope to complete the construction of at least 4,000 classrooms," she said.

The DepEd chief said repairs of 4,542 classrooms were also finished last year. Meanwhile, a total of 3,428 classrooms are currently being repaired, while 5,896 are set to be repaired "soon."

"We have made progress, but clearly, this is not enough," Duterte said.

This is why, she said, DepEd will work with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to improve proper coordination and the Special Allotment Release Order request process so as to "build more and build faster."

Duterte said that the DepEd will prioritize three areas to address classroom shortage in the country: schools that have makeshift or temporary classrooms; calamity-stricken areas with many unfunded calamity-damaged school buildings; and the construction of medium-rise school buildings in priority areas with high classroom shortages but with limited buildable space.

During her first Basic Education Report in January 2023, Duterte said that lack of school infrastructure and facilities remained to be the basic education sector's primary problem.

She also acknowledged the need to build and repair school facilities in order to accommodate the learning needs of millions of students in the country. — VDV, GMA Integrated News