The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday called on the private sector to accelerate classroom construction, warning that delays in infrastructure and digital access continue to limit learning opportunities for millions of Filipino students.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the private sector plays a crucial role in helping the government address the country’s 165,000-classroom backlog and modernize public schools.

He stressed that the scale and urgency of the education crisis require stronger collaboration between government and industry.

DepEd is pursuing large-scale public-private partnerships (PPP) to speed up the construction of classrooms and improve school infrastructure. The partnerships are expected to deliver up to 106,000 classrooms in the coming years as part of efforts to reduce the nationwide deficit.

“PPP is the bridge between urgency and execution,” Angara said before business leaders at the Philippine Business for Education leadership forum in Makati City. “We invite the private sector not as donors, but as co-architects of national development.”

Angara noted that traditional government procurement for classrooms can take two to seven years, while PPP arrangements can cut delivery timelines to one to two years by streamlining approvals and consolidating procurement processes.

DepEd has secured approval for an initial 16,000 classrooms under the latest phase of its PPP program, focusing on areas with the most severe shortages.

To explore faster construction methods, Angara recently visited a concrete prefabricated and modular structures plant in Mariveles, Bataan, with Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon.

They inspected a four-storey building using shell-type and full modular structures, as well as a sample classroom that can accommodate more than 50 students. The modular design allows faster and more efficient installation compared to conventional construction.

Beyond infrastructure, Angara said DepEd is advancing a nationwide digital transformation to equip schools with connectivity, devices and modern education technology. Through its PSIP Connect initiative, the department aims to establish a digital backbone to support teaching, learning and school management systems.

“We are embedding technology into the core of our system to ensure that Filipino learners are prepared for the future,” he said.

Angara cited DepEd’s partnership with Khan Academy, which now supports more than 2,800 public schools nationwide. The program has helped improve student performance in mathematics and reduced lesson preparation time for teachers.

“Education has always been a shared responsibility. But today, it must also be a shared investment. This is a nation-building strategy,” Angara said.