The Department of Education (DepEd) plans to build 15,000 classrooms by 2027 as part of its effort to address the country’s 165,000-classroom shortage through public-private partnerships (PPPs), Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced on Wednesday.

Angara presented the proposal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a recent meeting in Malacañang following the signing of a technical assistance agreement with the PPP Center in December 2024.

The initiative, part of the PPP School Infrastructure Project (PSIP 3), is projected to cost between P37.5 billion and P60 billion and will benefit over 600,000 students nationwide. It is also anticipated to create at least 18,000 jobs.

“The classroom gap is a massive challenge, but we believe that leveraging private investments through PPPs is the most efficient and sustainable way to address this,” Angara said.

The DepEd also outlined plans for expanding classroom constructions through PSIP 4 and 5, with goals of building 30,000 and 60,000 classrooms, respectively.

In addition to infrastructure improvements, the DepEd is leading initiatives to enhance public school facilities with power and digital tools through PPPs, aiming to improve learning outcomes.

The digitalization and solarization plan, which is expected to roll out by mid-2026, includes providing electricity to unpowered schools, a Low Earth Orbit satellite internet to connect isolated schools, and devices such as tablets for students and laptops for teachers. This widespread connectivity is set to significantly improve teaching effectiveness and provide students access to a wealth of educational resources previously unavailable to them.