DepEd building disaster-resilient schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) will construct disaster-resilient school buildings and seek additional resources through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Tuesday.

The initiative follows the recent groundbreaking of the country’s first 12-story public school building in Cebu, designed to withstand severe weather conditions.

Angara also noted that DepEd’s agreement with the PPP Center late last year will fast-track efforts to address classroom shortages. The construction of 15,000 classrooms will begin this year, benefiting 1,600 schools across nine regions.

The DepEd chief likewise stressed the urgent need to increase the Quick Response Fund (QRF) to ensure the immediate repair and reconstruction of damaged schools.

“Our current Quick Response Fund is simply not enough to address the scale of destruction we face each year. If we want to rebuild quickly and effectively, we need more resources,” Angara said, citing EDCOM II’s Year 2 report on the agency’s lack of QRF, which hampers its ability to respond effectively to disasters.

In 2024 alone, 1,855 schools were affected by various calamities, requiring P6.6 billion for classroom repairs and P6.3 billion to replace 1,846 classrooms. However, DepEd’s QRF, which has been increased to P3 billion annually, remains insufficient to meet these demands.

DepEd also welcomed the signing of Republic Act 12076, or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which mandates the establishment of permanent evacuation centers to prevent schools from being used as temporary shelters.

Moreover, the agency will reinforce the implementation of DepEd Order No. 22, s. 2024, or the Revised Guidelines on Class and Work Suspension in Schools During Disasters and Emergencies, to ensure learning continuity.

The Department also directed schools to develop a learning and service continuity plan, which outlines the implementation of alternative delivery modalities suited to their specific conditions in case of face-to-face class suspensions.