DepEd mandates PWD-accessible, disaster-resilient designs for new schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) is requiring new public school buildings to be fully accessible to persons with disabilities (PWDs) and designed to withstand stronger natural hazards beginning in 2027.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara issued DepEd Order No. 022, adopting enhanced minimum performance standards and specifications for public basic education facilities. The standards will apply to new school infrastructure and furniture procurement covered by the policy starting fiscal year 2027.

“All new school sites must feature standardized wheelchair ramps with a maximum 1:20 incline and non-skid surfaces, while tactile paving with warning blocks must be provided for visually impaired learners,” DepEd said in a statement.

The updated rules replace earlier facility standards issued in 2017 and 2021 and set requirements for accessibility, classroom capacity, ventilation, sanitation, structural safety and campus security.

The new standards set general instruction rooms at 63 square meters, with a maximum capacity of 40 learners. Classrooms must have a minimum ceiling height of 2.7 meters and a floor-to-window area ratio of 20 percent to support cross-ventilation.

The standards raise structural requirements for new school buildings, requiring them to withstand super typhoon winds of up to 340 kilometers per hour and magnitude 8.0 earthquakes.

Among the mandatory engineering specifications are anchored roof trusses, fire-retardant materials and footings at least 600 millimeters deep. DepEd said deep foundation micropiles or raft foundations must be used in hazard-prone areas with weak soil, depending on site conditions and engineering design.

The policy also requires a minimum structural design life, subject to proper design, construction, maintenance and site conditions.

For sanitation, the standards require gender-separated toilets and set fixture ratios of at least one female toilet for every 20 to 25 female learners and one male toilet for every 25 to 30 male learners.

Furniture must be lead-safe and ergonomic, with desks designed for both left- and right-handed learners. At least 20% of furniture components must be made from sustainable bamboo, in line with Executive Order No. 879.

DepEd will also standardize exterior and interior colors for new facilities, including Baguio green roofs, white ceilings, cream interior walls, ivory white exterior walls, metallic gray railings and red safety accents.

Angara said the unified standards were intended to ensure that school facilities are built to the same requirements nationwide.

“Having one unified standard makes it easier for our partners and project engineers to build right the first time. Proper airflow, ergonomic seats, and barrier-free pathways are not luxury add-ons, but basic prerequisites for effective learning,” Angara said.