SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian pressed the need to utilize multiple solutions to address the perennial shortage of classrooms in the country.

Based on the Department of Education’s National School Building Inventory as of 2023, the classroom shortage is estimated at 165,443.

Addressing this shortage requires an estimated budgetary allocation of P413.6 billion.

Considering the enormous budgetary requirements, Gatchalian emphasized the need for innovations to make progress in reducing the classroom shortage.

Among Gatchalian’s proposed solutions is the implementation of a ‘counterpart program,’ where participating local government units shoulder 50 percent of the cost of constructing new classrooms, while the national government shoulders the other 50 percent.

Gatchalian recalled that a similar program was implemented when he was Mayor of Valenzuela City.

According to the lawmaker, sharing the responsibility between the national government and local government units will pave the way for the simultaneous construction of more classrooms.

Gatchalian added that the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education should help decongest overcrowded public schools.

Public-private partnerships can also be utilized to address the classroom shortage, Gatchalian said.

“Dahil napakarami pang kulang na silid-aralan sa ating bansa at sa laki ng halagang kakailanganin natin upang mapunan ang naturang kakulangan, kailangang humanap tayo ng iba’t ibang mga paraan upang matugunan ang hamong ito. Kung hindi tayo magiging maparaan sa pagpapatayo ng mga silid-aralan, patuloy lamang na lalaki ang mga kakulangang haharapin natin,” said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

A discussion led by the Second Congressional Commission on Education flagged the underutilization of the Basic Education Facilities Fund as one of the reasons for the delay in school infrastructure construction.

For 2023, only 192 out of the target 6,379 classrooms were built, according to a report by the Commission on Audit.

The discussion also flagged bottlenecks in the procurement and in the coordination between the DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways.