The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Education (DepEd), and Local Government Units (LGUs) will work together to accelerate the completion of classroom projects nationwide, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced Wednesday afternoon.

“The funding will be entrusted to LGU while DPWH and DepEd will oversee the implementation and building of classrooms,” Castro said during a press briefing, adding that the three agencies will soon sign a memorandum of agreement.

She emphasized that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the immediate resolution of the classroom shortage.

“The President wants the classroom shortage to be filled as soon as possible for the good of the students. We cannot act slowly — that is the presidential directive,” she said.

According to Castro, 200 classrooms are expected to be completed by the DPWH before the end of the year.

By next year, the government targets to finish 822 classrooms by the second quarter and 2,000 classrooms by the third quarter.

However, as of October, DPWH has only completed 22 classrooms, far short of the 1,700 targeted for completion in 2025.

During a Senate finance committee hearing, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon admitted that 882 classroom projects are ongoing, while another 882 have not yet started, resulting in what he described as a “very deplorable” performance rate of 15.43 percent.