ZAMBOANGA del Norte Third District Representative Adrian Michael Amatong is urging the Department of Education to develop and implement a comprehensive master plan to address the nationwide classroom backlog and to ensure adequate, safe, and inclusive learning environment for all Filipino students.

In his House Resolution 1945, Amatong said the current classroom backlog for the School Year 2023-2024 has reached an alarming 159,000 classrooms, a significant increase from last year’s shortage of 91,000 classrooms.

The lawmaker said the overcrowding in existing classrooms is also severe, with at least 50 percent of all 7,520 existing senior high school classrooms, 41 percent of all 10,188 junior high school classrooms, and 32 percent of all primary school classrooms being congested or crammed.

Amatong stressed that an effective and comprehensive response to this urgent issue requires the creation of a well-coordinated masterplan that outlines strategies, resources, and timelines for addressing the classroom backlog and mitigating its impact on the education system.

He added that without a masterplan, efforts to resolve the classroom crisis will remain fragmented and insufficient, further prolonging the suffering of the students and hindering their potential to achieve academic success.

“As leaders of this nation, we are entrusted with the responsibility to give the Filipino youth a fighting chance to succeed, to rise above their circumstances, and to build a better future for themselves and our nation,” Amatong further said.