METRO Manila, Calabarzon, Soccsksargen and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) face "severe and persistent challenges" from classroom shortages and aging school buildings, a government study found.
The joint study by the Second Congressional Commission for Education (EdCom 2) and the Philippine Institute of Development Studies said in the National Capital Region (NCR), as much as 90 percent of public elementary school students in the northern district were enrolled in congested schools with a ratio of 50 students per classroom. In Metro Manila's southern district, 76.8 percent of students were in similarly crowded classrooms, and in the eastern district, 60.1 percent were similarly situated. Congestion was also "above average" in the provinces of Rizal and Cavite, the study noted.
The study also said classroom shortages affected elementary students the most, followed by junior high and senior high school students.
Student-classroom ratios will also remain the highest in the NCR and surrounding provinces for both elementary and secondary schools in the next 15 years or until 2040, the study said, as would Cebu, Occidental Mindoro, BARMM and Soccsksargen.
The study also noted that a significant proportion of public school rooms are beyond their estimated useful life, with projections showing that only 18.6 percent of 2023 public school rooms will remain in good condition by 2040 without new construction or repairs.
Karol Mark Yee, EdCom 2 executive director, said that while the Department of Education is ramping up efforts to address the backlog of 165,000 classrooms, it should consider four factors in addressing these backlogs: population growth rate, vulnerability to disasters, projected wear-and-tear of existing facilities, and available private school capacity within the community.
"By looking at these factors collectively, we can diversify our interventions in addressing school congestion, break down silos in resourcing and ensure that our efforts directly support improvement of learning outcomes of our students," Yee added.
EdCom 2 co-chairman Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the government needs to be innovative in finding multiple solutions to the classroom crisis.
"One strategy that I have been pushing is the implementation of a counterpart program, where local government units (LGUs) and the national government share the cost of constructing new classrooms. This way we can have several LGUs building classrooms simultaneously," Gatchalian said.
He also suggested tapping into public-private partnerships and expanding the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education to ease congestion in public schools.
His counterpart at the House of Representatives, Rep. Roman Romulo, said that double shifting in classes to resolve the classroom shortage is "draining" for both teachers and students.
The study found that without intervention, the classroom shortage would persist despite projections that there will be a general decline in total national public school enrollment across most regions until 2040, and potentially until 2060, because of a reduced fertility rate.
The Bangsamoro region still expects an increase in the number of school-age children, which could lead to increased public school enrollment it added.
The study emphasized the urgent need for policy reform and infrastructure investment to ensure that the educational needs of students are met.
