The Department of Education (DepEd) said Friday it has strengthened oversight of its localized classroom construction program as 168 local government units (LGUs) move forward with projects aimed at easing the country's chronic shortage of classrooms.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the agency is closely monitoring the implementation of projects under supplemental memoranda of agreement signed with 168 LGUs—comprising 72 provinces, 73 cities and 23 municipalities—to ensure they comply with national standards, timelines and quality requirements.

"Ang ating layunin ay hindi lamang basta makapagpatayo ng gusali, kundi masigurong ang bawat pisong ginagastos ay nagiging kalidad at ligtas na silid-aralan para sa ating mga mag-aaral," Angara said in a statement, adding that the department has tightened monitoring to ensure projects meet quality and accountability standards.

DepEd said 130 of the 149 LGUs currently under active monitoring are in various pre-procurement stages, including preparation of detailed engineering designs, program of work, bidding activities and market scoping. 

These projects cover the construction requirements of 358 public schools.

Three LGUs, meanwhile, have reached the procurement award stage for projects covering 22 school sites, the department said.

DepEd added that it is using digital validation and monitoring systems to track the progress of the remaining LGUs and verify compliance with project requirements.

The localized classroom construction program is part of the government's efforts to address the country's longstanding classroom deficit. 

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) has estimated that the Philippines faces a backlog of more than 165,000 classrooms, with the figure projected to increase further if construction fails to keep pace with rising enrollment.

Earlier this year, DepEd began entering into agreements with LGUs to speed up school building projects, arguing that local governments can complete construction faster by leveraging local procurement and implementation capacity while remaining subject to national technical and auditing standards.