DepEd to speed up classroom construction with ‘early procurement activities’
Photo courtesy of DPWH official website.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is teaming up with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to fast-track the construction of more classrooms nationwide and address the gaping shortage.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on July 29 the move aims to address the country’s persistent classroom shortage, which currently stands at 159,000. The number is growing by 12,000 classrooms each year.
“Kailangan magbago ‘yung current system na ‘yun [We need to change the current system],” Angara said. “Nakikita ko ‘yung early procurement activities na tinatawag. Ginagawa ho yan sa Department of Public Works. Sana gawin din namin [I’m looking at the early procurement activities done by the DPWH. We want to do the same with DepEd].”
Early procurement activities are carried out before the start of the budget year and prior to the issuance of the Notice of Award, using as basis the National Expenditure Program. However, the pre-procurement activities do not include payment of cash advance or commission.
Angara said a major hurdle in building more classrooms is the lengthy validation process for school sites.
“Hindi nakaka-construct dahil ‘di nava-validate yung ibang school sites, may mga problema ‘dun sa kung may titulo na ‘yung lupa, may problema kung hindi pala kaya nung lupain ‘yung multi-story building [Many school sites can’t be validated because of land titles or soil conditions unsuitable for multi-story buildings],” he explained.
The education chief hopes to resolve these issues before the year ends and start building new classrooms by January.
DepEd earlier proposed a P397 billion budget to construct the needed classrooms at an average cost of P2 million each. The agency also has funds to repair schools damaged by typhoon Carina.
Meanwhile, the classroom shortage is now more felt in areas like Dumaguete City, where the opening of classes was disrupted due to insufficient classrooms.
Dr. Juditha Mapue, chief of the curriculum implementation department of the City Schools Division, said additional classrooms are being built to accommodate all students. Until then, schools are implementing a shifting schedule.
“The first shift begins at 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the second shift will start at 12 p.m. and will end at 6 p.m.,” Mapue said.
Seven schools in the city need a combined total of 78 new classrooms. The DepEd has allocated P197.5 million for classroom construction and repair.
