The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P9.41 billion to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the government’s primary construction arm, to build 6,098 classrooms in 956 high schools nationwide for the Department of Education (DepEd).
Charged under the DepEd’s Basic Educational Facilities Fund (BEFF) in the 2015 national budget, the fund release will increase the capacity of public high schools, as well as accommodate the rising number of students each year.
With the release, only P61.5 million of the BEFF is still left for disbursement pending the submission of documentary requirements by the DepEd.
“We’ve already closed the classroom gap based on the 2010 backlog target, and now we’re determined to build more classrooms due to the increasing number of enrollees each year. We are also preparing for the proper implementation of the K to 12 Program by next year,” Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said.
“There have been delays in the construction of these classrooms, due to the education agency’s exhaustive process in assessing their targets.
However, the DepEd had to identify and validate the safety of these sites first as part of the National Government’s ‘Build Back Better’ strategy,” he added.
