Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Thursday urged local government units to take a more active role in delivering classrooms and safeguarding education funds to address classroom shortages and overcrowding in public schools.

Angara made the call during his engagement with the Mayors for Good Governance coalition as the Department of Education prepares to roll out billions of pesos worth of school infrastructure projects next year.

He said the push for stronger transparency and accountability comes as DepEd moves to implement a major portion of its 2026 school infrastructure program, with an estimated P85.4 billion budget for the construction and completion of about 24,500 classrooms nationwide.

According to Angara, local governments will play a crucial role as co-implementers, particularly in facilitating land use, fast-tracking permits, and monitoring project execution.

The DepEd chief also recognized the role of the Mayors for Good Governance in promoting integrity and accountability at the local level, noting that these principles are critical as the education sector confronts a classroom backlog of more than 165,000 nationwide.

“If bidding is transparent, permitting is fast, and local monitoring is strict, we can deliver classrooms to children more quickly," Angara said.

He added that effective local governance can significantly shorten construction timelines and reduce project delays.

Angara said that under the planned implementation scheme, capable local governments will be tapped to directly handle classroom construction using national funds, alongside projects implemented through the Department of Public Works and Highways, public-private partnerships, and other government partners.

The multi-track approach, he said, is intended to accelerate delivery, particularly in areas where local governments can move faster on procurement and project supervision.

Angara also highlighted reforms governing the use of the Special Education Fund, sourced from the 1 percent real property tax, following updated joint guidelines issued by DepEd and other oversight agencies.

Under the revised rules, the Special Education Fund may now be used to complement national spending by supporting early childhood education, feeding programs, literacy and remediation initiatives, digital classroom devices, and inclusive education programs, provided allocations are based on local data and needs.

Angara said aligning Special Education Fund utilization with transparent local school board decisions and data-driven planning is critical as DepEd seeks to ensure that increased funding translates into completed classrooms, improved learning conditions, and better outcomes for learners.