A TOTAL of 48 new classrooms were inaugurated at the Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School (MORMS) in this town on Friday to help address the long-running three-shift class arrangement affecting nearly 7,000 learners.

Funded under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Basic Education Facilities Fund 2024, the newly constructed facilities directly respond to the severe classroom shortage at MORMS, an 8.2-hectare campus serving 6,977 Junior and Senior High School learners.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who led the inauguration ceremony, highlighted the Marcos administration’s commitment to modernizing school infrastructure through stronger collaboration among national agencies, local government units (LGUs), and private sector partners.

“For many years, Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School has been among the schools nationwide that have faced various challenges due to classroom shortages. That is why having a 48-classroom school building here is a significant achievement for DepEd,” Angara said.

“Through our partnerships with LGUs, provincial governments, and the private sector, we will continue to provide more conducive and appropriate learning spaces for our learners,” he added.

According to DepEd, the additional classrooms are part of the agency’s continuing efforts to address the country’s classroom backlog and ensure that students have access to safer, more comfortable, and suitable learning environments.