ZAMBOANGA del Norte Third District Rep. Adrian Michael Amatong has filed a resolution urging the Department of Education to develop and implement a comprehensive master plan to address the nationwide classroom backlog.

Amatong’s House Resolution 1945 also aims to ensure an adequate, safe, and inclusive learning environment for all Filipino students.

The solon said the current classroom backlog for School Year 2023-2024 has reached an alarming 159,000 classrooms, a significant increase from last year’s shortage of 91,000 classrooms.

He added that 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 cramped.

“These dire conditions are not mere statistics; they represent the daily struggles faced by the Filipino youth, who are being deprived of the quality education they desperately need to lift themselves out of poverty and into a brighter future,” Amatong said in his resolution.

Amatong stressed an effective and comprehensive response to the 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.

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