DepEd: Clearing classroom backlog by 2028 ‘unrealistic’

Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara said Wednesday that the country’s classroom backlog of 165,000 is “highly unrealistic” to clear by 2028, estimating that it would require building 55,000 classrooms annually for the next three years.

Angara’s comments came during a budget briefing with the House Committee on Appropriations. He said the most realistic estimate for classroom construction is between 10,000 and 20,000 per year.

“It may start, but looking at the history of our school building program, we might struggle to ease it because it’s only a matter of two and a half to three years,” Angara said in response to a query from Representative Rolando Valeriano. “That’s never been done in our history, Your Honor… I don’t know if we’re capable of that.”

Despite the shortage, the current school year began on 16 June and is scheduled to end on 31 March.

In his State of the Nation Address in July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to build 40,000 new classrooms with the help of the private sector before his term ends in June 2028.

However, ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio said the government’s efforts are subpar compared to past administrations that built more than 10,000 classrooms annually. Tinio cited a Commission on Audit report that found only 192 of 6,739 classrooms were constructed in 2023, the first full year of Marcos’ term.