President Ferdinand Marcos Jr indicated disappointment over reports that the country’s education sector still lacks adequate classrooms.

“As of December of last year, we have a classroom shortage that amounts to a stunning one hundred and forty-five thousand units. How have we allowed this to become such a bad, bad situation? I cannot — I cannot understand,” Marcos Jr said in a speech at the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Department of Education and local government units for a nationwide classroom building project in Malacañang Palace on Wednesday.

He said the scarcity of classrooms in the country persists, prompting students to sacrifice by taking shifts in classrooms, with some using basketball courts and even under a tree as places to learn.

“Because of the shortage of classrooms, we have to run multiple shifts for students. Some arrive at school before dawn, while others leave late at night. Some students hold classes in basketball courts — or at times, simply under a tree. And this is the gap that we must address urgently.”

The MoA signing formalizes the partnership between the DepEd and provinces nationwide to ensure that every Filipino student has a safe and decent classroom.

Many struggles for students

“I have seen many of the struggles that our students, our teachers, and our parents face when having to send their children to school. They are studying and dreaming of a better future in poorly built facilities, cramped spaces, and sometimes no facilities at all,” he said.

“It is the reason why our administration has been finding all kinds of alternative ways that we can immediately close this yawning gap. Because we cannot wait another five or ten years to ensure that every student has a comfortable classroom,” the President added.

He said the government initiated the partnership with local government units as one of its interventions to resolve the classroom backlog.

Marcos even admitted that they are changing the system “because the process that we have now is much too slow.”

“With this initiative, we can take a big bite out of that gap. And under this partnership, the DepEd will set the technical standards, provide designs, and supply the funding for these classrooms. On the other hand, the LGUs will take the lead in their procurement and actual construction,” Marcos stated.