1,017 classrooms to rise In CL next school year

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) here said it is poised to construct 1,017 more classrooms under the Public-Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project II (PSIP II) for the next school year in Central Luzon. The PSIP aims to fill in the 66,800 classroom backlog across the country, said Oliver Hernandez, DepEd chief engineer. “PSIP II is a design-build-contract project where single to four-storey school edifices will be built with each classroom having blackboards, teachers desks, 45 armchairs, and other furniture,” he said. “Comfort rooms will either be attached or detached units for single-storey structures while they will be integrated to those that have two or more storeys,” he added. DepEd said 262 public schools will be covered by PSIP II in the region. “Pre-qualification for contractors of the classrooms has started and the bidding will be from March to June while the implementation is scheduled from July this year to July next year,” Hernandez disclosed. He noted that “480,600 students are expected to enjoy better learning facilities” under the project.