SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is calling for greater private sector participation to help accelerate the construction of classrooms nationwide and address the country’s persistent shortage.

The senator made the push following the Department of Education’s issuance of an invitation to bid for the first three contract packages under Phase 3 of the Public-Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP III), valued at P105.7 billion.

The initial contract packages cover the design, construction, and maintenance of 3,563 classrooms across various regions. These will be implemented through a build-lease-transfer arrangement, with a total contract duration of 11 years and five months—17 months allotted for construction and 10 years for payments.

According to the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines, PSIP III aims to deliver 16,549 new classrooms and benefit at least 800,000 learners annually.

“Kung mapapalawak natin ang pakikilahok ng pribadong sektor sa pagpapatayo ng mga silid-aralan, mapupunan natin ang malaking kakulangan natin sa mga classroom,” said Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance.

The 2026 national budget has earmarked P65.9 billion for the construction of nearly 25,000 classrooms. Despite this, the country continues to face a significant backlog, which stood at around 147,000 classrooms as of July 2025.