The Department of Education is expanding its push to address the country’s classroom shortage through a new partnership with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and 38 local government units that will fund 456 additional classrooms nationwide.
Under the agreement, PAGCOR will provide P55 million to each of the 38 LGUs, for a total of P2.09 billion. Each LGU will use the funding to build a three-story public school building with 12 classrooms, with construction targeted for completion by the end of 2027.
The funds will be released in three tranches, subject to technical compliance and progress monitoring. The partner LGUs will handle procurement and construction while following government procurement rules and approved architectural plans. Once the buildings are completed, DepEd will take over their ownership, administration and maintenance.
The new agreement is the second phase of the PAGCOR-backed school-building program. In March, the agency partnered with an initial group of LGUs for the construction of 252 classrooms. Combined, the two batches cover 59 LGUs and 708 classrooms.
The classrooms are also being designed with modern learning facilities. PAGCOR said the buildings will include chairs, tables, electric fans and facilities accessible to persons with disabilities, along with 75-inch smart televisions, audio equipment and a one-year free internet subscription.
The infrastructure push comes as DepEd continues to deal with a substantial classroom backlog. The department estimates the shortage at 143,543 classrooms as of June 2026, although the Second Congressional Commission on Education has cited a higher figure of more than 166,000 based on DepEd’s National School Building Inventory.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the shortage is being driven not only by the growing number of learners but also by aging school buildings and recurring damage caused by natural disasters. The government has therefore been looking at partnerships that can accelerate construction while making school facilities more resilient.
DepEd is also pursuing measures to keep students connected when extreme weather disrupts classes. In Laguna, the department launched an Adopt-a-School ICT initiative with Prime Infra Foundation and Ahunan Power that will provide Starlink satellite internet to 12 public schools, with three years of subscription costs covered by the private-sector partners.
The connectivity program is intended to support learning continuity in areas vulnerable to weather-related disruptions. DepEd cited findings that learners in some school divisions can lose as many as 40 to 50 class days because of climate-related events.
The latest partnerships show DepEd pursuing two connected priorities at the same time: adding classrooms to reduce overcrowding and improving digital connectivity so education can continue when physical access to schools is disrupted.
With the latest 456 classrooms expected to be completed by 2027, the larger test will be whether partnerships with PAGCOR, LGUs and private organizations can help DepEd close the remaining infrastructure gap while delivering schools that are safer, more resilient and better equipped for modern learning.
