QC mulls purchase of distressed private schools

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City government is eyeing the purchase of financially distressed private schools as a way to address the shortage of classrooms in public schools.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said yesterday the local government is exploring possible public-private partnerships with private school owners to facilitate the acquisition of the properties.

“What the city government is doing is saving money and addressing the problem of classroom congestion at the same time,” he said.

Bautista called on barangay officials to assist in the identification of private schools that can be acquired by the city government.

Earlier, division of city schools head Corazon Rubio said that at least 10 schools in the city are expected to exceed enrolment capacity. In an interview with The STAR, Rubio said they have already addressed the issue by setting up makeshift or mobile classrooms.

The city earlier announced the completion of new buildings at the President Corazon Aquino Elementary School (PCAES), San Bartolome High School, Old Balara Elementary School, and the Payatas C Elementary School. Eleven other school buildings are currently under construction.

But despite the new building at PCAES, Rubio said the number of students who enrolled this incoming school year still exceeded the school’s capacity. Because the school does not have space for makeshift tents, she said they had to divide some rooms into two to accommodate two classes at once.

“The rooms that we divided are very large so two classes can still fit inside,” she said in Filipino.

Rubio noted that cases of classroom congestion are isolated in several schools in the second district, but admitted there is a need for new classrooms in most schools in the city as preparation for the implementation of the K-12 program.

She said they are also exploring various alternative education programs to address the issue of congestion.

Rubio confirmed the report of the Department of Education regarding the 1:1 textbook-to-student ratio in public schools. She also said that they have enough teachers to handle the classes.

The local government is expecting over 400,000 enrollees in the city’s public elementary and high schools this incoming school year.