The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday expressed concern over the slow pace of classroom construction this year.

In a statement, DepEd Media Relations chief Dennis Legaspi said that, under current rules, the Department of Public Works and Highways [DPWH] implements all DepEd-funded school building projects.

"DPWH’s heavy workload, late validation and costing submission, and leadership changes have caused delays, with only 22 classrooms completed so far under the 2025 BEFF [Basic Education Facilities Fund] for new construction," Legaspi said.

From July 2022 to July 2025, DepEd and DPWH completed 22,092 classrooms nationwide—reducing the backlog from about 165,443 to 146,708.

"The current delays are temporary and we remain focused on catching up," Legaspi assured.

To accelerate classroom construction, DepEd is pushing for flexibility under the 2026 budget so that projects may be implemented not only by DPWH but also by DepEd, local government units, partners such as the Armed Forces of the Philippimes' engineering brigades, and through public-private partnerships.

DepEd proposed the inclusion of a special provision on implementation flexibility in the 2026 National Expenditure Program as early as the first quarter of 2025.

"We will also launch an online classroom dashboard for public tracking of classroom needs and construction progress and host a classroom summit on 20 November to strengthen collaboration and transparency," Legaspi said.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Sonny Angara reported on Monday that several schools damaged by Typhoon Opong in Masbate province are now nearing completion of repair works, with some already fully restored.

DepEd data show that 1,651 classrooms — most in Masbate City — were damaged by the typhoon, with estimated losses amounting to P1.079 billion.

The agency has already downloaded P14.4 million to the Schools Division Offices of Masbate and Masbate City for cleanup and minor repairs and has requested an additional P23.4 million to sustain ongoing rehabilitation.

The DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service has also allocated 20 upgraded temporary learning spaces in the ongoing emergency procurement to accommodate learners from schools still under repair.

DepEd said it expects most of the remaining major repair works to be completed between December 2025 and February 2026, while funding for the replacement of totally damaged classrooms is being programmed under the Basic Education Facilities Fund 2026 and the Quick Response Fund 2026.

The agency has likewise directed its regional offices in Cebu and Davao to expedite the assessment and repair of schools affected by the recent earthquakes.