THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) has strengthened institutional oversight and accountability measures for its localized classroom construction program as 79 local government units (LGUs) move forward with infrastructure projects aimed at addressing classroom shortages nationwide.

Under the updated guidelines, DepEd has enhanced institutional oversight and streamlined monitoring systems to ensure that local projects comply with national timelines, digital validation requirements, and strict fiscal standards.

The strategic rollout leverages the momentum of the 79 pioneering LGUs that have already initiated procurement processes for school infrastructure.

These initial collaborations represent a ₱9.3-billion investment that is set to deliver 2,632 classrooms across more than 600 school sites nationwide.

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara emphasized that while empowering local leaders allows for a faster and more responsive approach to addressing urgent classroom shortages, it must be matched with full transparency and accountability.

“Malaki ang maitutulong ng pakikipagtulungan nating ito sa mga lokal na pamahalaan upang mapabilis ang pagpapatayo ng mga pasilidad. Hindi kayang lutasin ng DepEd nang mag-isa ang kakulangan sa silid-aralan, kaya napakahalaga ng tulong ng mga LGU upang masigurong ligtas at komportable ang mga paaralan ng ating mga mag-aaral,” Angara said.

“Inilatag natin ang mga panuntunang ito hindi para maging pabigat o magpatagal sa proseso, kundi para pabilisin ang paglabas ng pondo habang tinitiyak na malinis, de-kalidad, at walang anomalya ang ating mga proyekto,” he added.

To strengthen accountability, DepEd is implementing full institutional oversight through the newly established Joint Project Implementation and Construction Committee.

Project monitoring has also been fully digitized, with LGUs now required to use INSIGHTED, a real-time digital validation and monitoring system designed to track construction progress and reduce delays.

All LGU-implemented projects must strictly comply with DepEd technical standards, safety protocols, and the New Government Procurement Act.