LOCAL governments (LGU) will soon be given funding and authority to construct classrooms under a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to be signed by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), according to Malacañang.
President Marcos ordered the signing of the new MOA to fast-track the construction of public school classrooms.
‘The President wants the shortage of classrooms to be addressed as soon as possible for the good of the students,’ Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in Filipino during a press briefing in Malacañang on Wednesday.
‘President Marcos believes that having well-organized and sustainable classrooms will serve as the foundation for developing the wisdom, knowledge, and talent of Filipino youth, which is being promoted under the Bagong Pilipinas,’ she added.
Under the new MOA, the funds and the construction of classrooms will be handled by LGUs. The implementation of the said public works will then be monitored by DPWH and DepEd.
A total of 2,370 classrooms are expected to be built soon through the new MOA.
Prior to the agreement, DPWH handled the funds and construction of classrooms.
Castro said the new initiative is expected to help address the classroom shortage, which has reached 150,000 according to DepEd.
The Palace official made the announcement after it was revealed in a Senate hearing on Monday that of the 1,700 classrooms that were expected to be constructed this year, only 22 were completed and 900 others were still pending.
Citing the latest government data, Castro said 200 classrooms are expected to be completed by December.
She said another 822 classrooms are expected to be finished by early 2026 and another 2,000 by the third quarter next year.