DepEd: Many public schools lack space for more classrooms

MANILA, Philippines—As the government prepared for the new school year, Education Secretary Armin Luistro disclosed Wednesday that more than 700 crowded public schools need creative solutions to address classroom congestion as they lack land and space for new classrooms.

Presenting the state of the Philippine education system to the business sector, Luistro said 771 of the country’s most congested schools, many in Metro Manila and other urban centers such as Cebu and Davao, do not have any more space to build new classrooms.

The Department of Education is thus mulling over the introduction of alternative modes of bringing education to students in these areas, from transporting students to less congested schools and offering “blended learning,” where students spend learning time online.

“There are congested schools that are forced to have double shifts or triple shifts with no buildable land. But I don’t think the proper response there is to build classrooms,” said Luistro at an education conference organized by Philippine Business for Education (PBEd).

He noted the unequal distribution of students across the country owing to varying populations per area.  For instance, he pointed out that while District 2 in Quezon City may have some of the most crowded schools in the country, there is “an excess of classrooms” in areas like New Manila in District 4.

“There are enough classrooms, if only we could move things around,” Luistro said.

In two weeks, DepEd will meet with principals of these schools to discuss the best alternative way to address classroom congestion without building new classrooms.

The options include blended learning, where students hold classes online and only need to appear in school at selected times.

DepEd is also looking at replicating a program already being done in some provinces where students from far-flung communities lacking classrooms are bused to the next town.

“Instead of building a small school in the barrio, the students are being bused to school.  We found that that’s more cost-effective without sacrificing the quality of education,” Luistro told reporters.

Another option is to provide students with learning modules that they could work on outside school and meet in class twice a week, Luistro said.

“We will be meeting with principals and lay down these options.  They will then choose what’s most appropriate for their school,” said Luistro.

The current classroom shortage stands at 50,921.  Some 15,000 are programmed to be built this year while DepEd is pursuing partnerships with the private sector and local governments to build even more classrooms.