President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed all relevant government agencies to accelerate the construction of classrooms in the Ilocos Region through public-private partnerships.

During a meeting with the Regional Development Council in Dagupan City, Marcos commended the Department of Education’s (DepEd) efforts in enhancing literacy rates in the region, which have historically been higher than the national average.

“I’m glad to see the intervention at DepEd, the construction of the classrooms. I think we need to accelerate that. I do not think we want to wait until 2030 for all of those classrooms,” said the President.

Marcos explained that engaging the private sector through Public-Private Partnerships enables public infrastructure and development projects to be completed more rapidly and at a reduced cost to the government.

He also suggested that these types of arrangements should be reinstated to expedite classroom construction.

The DepEd had earlier proposed the construction of nearly 3,000 classrooms in the Ilocos Region between 2025 and 2030.

It has also proposed hiring additional school personnel for the region in its 2026 budget proposal, including principals, administrative officers, school counselor associates and project development officers.

In the meantime, DepEd is actively filling vacant positions in the region while also undertaking the annual creation and deployment of teaching items.