Joshua Villaabrille

To address the classroom backlogs nationwide, the Department of Education (DepEd) strengthens its Adopt-A-School program, a public-private partnership that aims to deliver better quality education to students. 


The program relies on donations from private sectors to improve their delivery of facilities and equipment in regional schools. 

"Ang tinutulak natin ngayon is mag-PPP tayo, public-private partnerships. Ibig sabihin, malakihan, bulto-bulto, 1,000 classrooms. Magpapa-bid tayo ng isang libong school buildings at i-o-offer natin sa private sector na magko-construct," Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on his plan in building more classrooms. 

DepEd’s PPP School Infrastructure Project (PSIP) Connect program eyes to start procuring digital hardware in May 2025 and is expected to be delivered by mid-2026 with private partners seeking digital tools that adheres to global standards through international connections. 

Private partners also suggested for the program to take on other educational gaps as priorities like malnutrition, emphasizing it as a critical issue in need of action. 

Sen. Angara stated that the program also offers potential tax benefits to donors on their taxable incomes. 

"Baka hindi alam noong ibang negosyante o ibang nagdo-donate, ibang charitable organizations, ipaalam niyo sa kanila na kapag nagdo-donate sila ng school building, maide-deduct nila doon sa kanilang taxable income,” he said. 

Its first phase will kick-off with the establishment of 15,000 classrooms, furnished with modern designs, enhanced learning environments, and resilience to natural disasters, starting next year and is scheduled for completion by June 2027.

According to DepEd, only 40 percent of the allocated budget for classrooms are used due to the delays in the procurement process which is why 159,000 classrooms are still in shortage with only 2,000 being built each year.