‘Lease closed private schools to address shortage’

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is considering leasing closed private schools to address the classroom shortage crisis in the country.

In a statement, the DepEd said that this would be a “bold move” as it ties up with the private sector and other government agencies to explore new solutions to ease the classroom shortage situation.

The Pita Property, formerly Rainbow Institute of Learning Inc. in Laguna, is being eyed as a pilot project.

The 1,385-square-meter campus was closed in 2020 and is located just two kilometers from Don Manuel Rivera Memorial Integrated National High School, which currently faces a 22-classroom deficit.

The DepEd said it partnered with the Student First Coalition to conduct a Classroom Market Scoping Activity through leasing.

During the market scoping, they presented DepEd’s Standard Classroom Specifications, classroom needs, and the details of its Leasing Pilot Program. There was also an open forum with the private sector.

DepEd hopes to turn the classroom shortage crisis into an opportunity for public-private collaboration and innovation.

It also clarified that the leasing strategy would not replace its long-term infrastructure programs including flexible school building implementation and public-private partnerships.

Just recently, the Department of Public Works and Highways admitted that as of October it has only completed 22 classrooms out of the 1,700 targeted classroom construction.

The DepEd earlier reported a 146,708-classroom backlog nationwide.