TO RESOLVE the classroom shortage issues in megacities, the Department of Education will unveil new designs for medium and high-rise school buildings.

The agency will hold an exhibit on March 29 at the Rizal I Lobby of the DepEd Central office in Pasig City showcasing the salient designs of the buildings that will provide conducive spaces for learning.

“The Department is continuously upgrading public school buildings to conform with the changing environment and to solve the problem of classroom shortage in areas where the number of learners is constantly growing. These school buildings will help our teachers, learners, and parents have their conducive spaces for learning and collaboration,” Education Undersecretary for Administration Alain Pascua said.

Given the limited sites available for schools, the Department proposed the construction of medium to high-rise school buildings in urban areas where there is a dense population but limited land areas for development.

School building designs may range from at least five- to 12-story, depending on the required classroom needs of the school, the building space, the type of soil, and the projected enrollment population of the school for the next 15 to 25 years.

The Department based the plans and designs on the latest construction technologies, the department’s Minimum Performance and Specifications, and the National Building Code.

Based on the latest classroom inventory and enrollment data, DepEd identified 167,901 classrooms that need to be built in public elementary and secondary schools with remaining classroom requirements.

Pascua encouraged the local government units, private sector, and other basic education stakeholders to partner with the national government in the construction of school buildings.

“We urge our partners, stakeholders, and local government units to take part in our plans of solving the classroom shortage in the country. This will help our learners to have a conducive learning environment, and it will advance the basic education in the country,” he said.