Classroom shortage is still considered a big hurdle for the country’s education sector amid the postponement of school openings in July and the devastating effects of Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon.
Classes in public schools were supposed to resume on Monday, July 29. However, due to the damages caused by the typhoon, the Department of Education (DepEd) ordered the cancellation of classes in several affected areas. Some school properties were damaged or used as evacuation centers for the residents.
Now, with the ongoing school openings, students and teachers face a bigger issue at hand. The challenge faced by the education sector is not unfamiliar at all, as Education Secretary Francis Bringas also stated that it has been a problem ever since. In August of 2023, public schools reportedly lacked 159,000 classrooms.
The decades-old problem poses an immediate call of action from the department, as problems would accumulate if it were brushed aside.
Teachers had to improvise learning modalities to accommodate all the students to make up for the lack of facilities. In some schools, class shifting was implemented. While some had to make do by sharing one classroom, using plywood as the partition. A few resorted to alternative learning modes such as online class setups so that different sections could use the rooms.
Sec Angara said they are currently working on strengthening the Early Procurement Activities—a collaboration between DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The early procurement activities would include the validation of school sites and the sector’s allocated funds for construction.
