With the country facing a 165,000-classroom backlog.
Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) forum in Makati City, Education Secretary Sonny Angara called for help from the private section to help address issues hounding the sector—specifically the shortage of classrooms, which stands at 165,000, and limited digital access.
The education chief cited the potential contribution of the private sector to join the government in resolving the current education crisis caused by these infrastructure problems for millions of students in the country.
He noted that the Department of Education (DepEd) is promoting large-scale public-private partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate the construction of classrooms and improve school infrastructure.
Angara told, “PPP is the bridge between urgency and execution. We invite the private sector not as donors, but as co-architects of national development,” with these partnerships expected to build up to 106,000 classrooms in the coming years as part of a broader strategy to address the shortage nationwide.
He also explained that traditional government procurement for classrooms can take two to seven years, while PPP arrangements can shorten delivery timelines to one to two years through a more streamlined process of approvals and consolidated procurement.
Prior to his speech, DepEd has already secured approval for the construction of the first 16,000 classrooms under the latest phase of its PPP program, which focuses on areas with the most severe shortages.
In line with that, Angara, along with Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, visited a concrete prefabricated and modular structures plant in Mariveles, Bataan on Tuesday.
Together, they inspected the four-storey design building made of shell-type and full modular structures, and a sample classroom that can accommodate more than 50 students.
Since the design is full modular, its installation is faster and easier compared to the traditional method of constructing school buildings, noted the department.
Meanwhile, the department is also promoting nationwide digital transformation to provide schools with connectivity, devices, and modern education technology through the PSIP Connect initiative—which aims to establish a nationwide digital backbone that will 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 added.
Angara also mentioned DepEd’s recent partnership with Khan Academy to support more than 2,800 public schools nationwide to continue improving students’ performance in mathematics and reduce the time teachers spend on lesson preparation, demonstrating the potential of digital tools to enhance learning outcomes.
“Education has always been a shared responsibility. But today, it must also be a shared investment. This is a nation-building strategy,” said Angara who also emphasized the importance of private sector participation in bringing technical expertise, innovation, and better implementation of projects.