DepEd eyes 4-day in-person school week to ease congestion

The Department of Education (DepEd) is considering a “4+1” blended learning school week as an immediate measure to ease overcrowding in public schools.

The school week will be composed of four-days of onsite classes and one day of online class to accelerate classroom construction.

“We are no longer content with the old system. We are changing the way we deliver to make it faster, more efficient, more effective and more transparent,” he said.

Angara announced the plan as he led the signing of an agreement with the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, rallying more than 1,300 mayors to help close the country’s long-standing classroom gap.

“Education is a shared responsibility, and our LGUs are the best-positioned partners to ensure these funds are translated into actual, usable classrooms for our learners,” he added.

DepEd said it aims to deliver 30,000 classrooms through traditional procurement by 2028 and another 16,000 via public-private partnerships under the newly approved PPP for School Infrastructure Project Phase 3.

The agency is also eyeing the lease or acquisition of foreclosed properties to immediately generate 1,000 classrooms, while tapping private sector donations for 2,000 more.

To provide quicker relief, DepEd is expanding prefabricated learning continuity spaces piloted in Masbate and Davao del Norte, with 2,571 units scheduled for installation in more than 1,000 municipalities this year.

Angara said the proposed 4+1 model forms part of interim congestion management while LGUs—now authorized under the 2026 budget to implement school building projects—work with DepEd to speed up construction and repairs.