Land shortage stalls classroom buildup

The lack of available land is emerging as another obstacle to the government’s efforts to address classroom shortages, with Education Secretary Sonny Angara saying fewer land donations and rising property prices are making it harder to secure sites for new school buildings.

Angara said the Department of Education has encountered difficulties finding buildable land even as it increases infrastructure spending and shifts more classroom construction to local government units (LGUs).

“The problem is the lack of buildable space,” Angara said in an interview Thursday, referring to the land needed for new classrooms.

He said land donations that previously helped provide school sites, particularly in the provinces, have become less common.

Some LGUs, however, have started acquiring properties in advance to reserve land for schools and other public facilities.

Angara said land banking allows local governments to purchase properties before prices rise, giving them a pool of land for future government buildings.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), in an analysis released 20 October, found that only 45.2 percent of the 332 LGUs with the largest estimated classroom shortages were among the top recipients of planned classroom allocations for 2026.

EDCOM 2 also reported that 30 of the country’s 66 fifth-class municipalities received no classroom allocation despite having a combined deficit of 356 classrooms.