EDITORIAL - Between intentions and implementation

The enactment of the Last Mile and GIDA Schools Act has been widely acclaimed, and rightly so.

Republic Act 12321, signed by President Marcos on July 22, aims to improve access to free basic education in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Last mile and GIDA schools are defined by RA 12321 as “public schools located in remote, hard-to-reach, underserved, or economically disadvantaged communities…”

These include schools in zones of armed conflict and natural disasters, and areas where over 75 percent of the learners are indigenous peoples. There are about 9,000 last mile schools nationwide, with 2.5 million learners. More than half of the schools are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The law has ambitious goals: the construction of GIDA schools within three kilometers of the homes of students, with access roads and public transportation. The schools will have electricity and internet connectivity. Incentives will be given to teachers for these schools.

As in most laws in this country, the challenge is always in the implementation.

Philippine education in general is in crisis, as studies and the results of international tests have shown. There is a backlog of 166,000 classrooms, although this has reportedly eased a bit. Another 120,000 classrooms require major repairs or retrofitting if not outright replacement.

By 2028, the studies show that another 51,000 aging classrooms will need to be condemned.

While the classroom shortage persists, the student population continues to grow. The Department of Education estimates that the country also lacks 30,000 teachers, although some teachers’ groups place the number at 65,000 and labor groups, citing ideal teacher-student ratio, see a gap of up to 147,000.

The shortages are felt even in schools in major towns and cities. Ventilation is poor and there are still many schools that lack safe water for sanitation and handwashing. While promising electricity and internet connectivity to last mile and GIDA schools, officials must also fix the power supply in many regular schools in areas that continue to suffer from rotating blackouts and unreliable WiFi.

Apart from infrastructure and manpower concerns, schools are currently grappling with rising violence and bullying among young students.

At least for 2026, the education sector was allocated, for the first time, a budget that exceeded four percent of gross domestic product, meeting the funding standard recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Whether the objectives of RA 12321 will get the necessary funding is another story. Authorities must ensure that there will be no yawning gap between the noble intentions of the law and its implementation.