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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
March 11, 2026 | 12:00am
A teacher guides her Kindergarten class at the President Corazon Aquino Elementary School in Quezon City in this file photo from June 2025.
MIGUEL DE GUZMAN
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is considering the pilot implementation of a “4+1” blended learning model, composed of four days of on-site classes and one day of online learning, to help address congestion in schools.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday said the agency is also exploring the expansion of vouchers to primary education, as well as the leasing or acquisition of foreclosed private properties that could immediately provide about 1,000 classrooms.
The DepEd is likewise seeking to mobilize private sector donations for an additional 2,000 learning spaces to help reduce the classroom deficit.
Angara led the ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding between DepEd and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines to formalize a nationwide effort to accelerate classroom construction.
During the event, he rallied more than 1,300 municipal mayors to help address the persistent classroom shortage.
“We are no longer content with the old system. We are changing the way we deliver to make it faster, more efficient, more effective and more transparent,” Angara said.
The education chief said DepEd is implementing several measures to close the classroom gap, including the delivery of 30,000 classrooms through conventional procurement by 2028.
Another 16,000 classrooms in high-congestion areas are planned under public-private partnerships through the recently approved PPP for School Infrastructure Project Phase 3.
“Education is a shared responsibility, and our LGUs are the best-positioned partners to ensure these funds are translated into actual, usable classrooms for our learners.”
Angara noted that under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, LGUs are now authorized to serve as primary implementers of school building projects alongside the Department of Public Works and Highways and the AFP Corps of Engineers.
The arrangement allows mayors to identify priority sites for classroom repairs or new construction.
Angara also promoted the use of prefabricated learning continuity spaces, which he described as a cost- and time-efficient solution already piloted in Masbate and Davao del Norte.
A total of 2,571 units are scheduled for installation across 1,017 municipalities this year.
DepEd likewise encouraged municipalities to pool their Special Education Funds to finance large-scale programs such as central kitchens for school-based feeding.
“We are not just sharing resources, we are actualizing President Marcos’ vision to modernize our classrooms through the kind of innovative funding that ensures no student is left behind by a lack of local budget,” Angara said.
DepEd earlier signed a memorandum of agreement with provincial governors and city mayors to implement the special provisions of the General Appropriations Act related to school building construction.
Angara urged mayors to coordinate with provincial governors to maximize the flexible construction provisions, which aim to speed up the delivery of much-needed classrooms.
