DepEd: P100M allocated for new classrooms in CV

THE national government has given the Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd 7) around P100 million for classroom construction next year.

DepEd 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, that the funds they received will allow them to construct an additional 100 classrooms this year.

Jimenez said he is closely coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as the latter was the implementing agency tasked to implement the construction of classrooms.

Jimenez made the response following the 2023 Basic Education Report of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte on Monday, Jan. 30.

Duterte said, among other things, that the lack of classrooms and school facilities remains to be DepEd’s primary problem.

Jimenez said the region lacked around 800 classrooms to accommodate over 1.9 million public school students currently enrolled this school year.

Each classroom, Jimenez said, costs P2 to P2.5 million to construct.

Aside from national government aid, Jimenez said they are also dependent on the support of the local government units, non-government organizations and private institutions in the construction of new classrooms.

The DepEd is also coordinating with congressional representatives for their assistance as they also have their own infrastructure allocation as provided for following the passage of the 2023 General Appropriations Act.

Last mile schools

For this year, Jimenez said the agency is prioritizing the construction of new classrooms in the “last mile schools” that are located in the far-flung areas with no or a lack of access to the standard classroom setup.

The official also took note of the decrease in operational private schools in the region for the current school year.

According to Jimenez, only 900 of 1,019 private schools in Central Visayas have continued operations after the two-year hiatus of in-person classes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.