Angara eyes public-private partnership to fast-track building 105,000 classrooms
As classes formally resumed across the country on Monday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the Department of Education (DepEd) may pursue a proposed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to fast-track the construction of 105,000 classrooms.
In an ambush interview on the first day of School Year 2025–2026, Angara acknowledged the long-standing infrastructure gap plaguing Philippine public schools.
He said the DepEd is pushing for a PPP deal worth billions of pesos to address this crisis.
'Uutangin 'yan pero 10 years to pay,' Angara said.
(We will borrow money for it but 10 years to pay.)
"Dumadaan na siya sa NEDA-ICC. May mga approvals 'yan, i-review nila ang proposal namin. Pero sa tingin namin, 'pag 'di natin ginawa 'yan, papag-iiwanan tayo," he added.
(It is now being studied by NEDA-ICC. There are approvals needed; they will review our proposa. But in our opinion, if we do not do that, we will be left behind.)
Angara earlier said the classroom backlog nationwide stands at 165,000.
The proposed PPP comes in response to a previous government report that it may take up to 55 years to close the classroom backlog under current construction and budget rates. With more than 27 million learners expected this year, overcrowding remains a critical issue, especially in urban areas like the National Capital Region and Region IV-A, which Angara identified as high-priority zones for new school construction.
The urgent need for classrooms was made more visible this week when a fire gutted one of the buildings of San Francisco High School in Quezon City.
As a result, hundreds of students began the school year inside a covered court, with classes split into shortened morning and afternoon sessions. —KG, GMA Integrated News
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