Building the future together

As the nation looks forward to 2013 with the optimism of a new beginning, the Department of Education (DepEd) and its partners in the private sector have been working together to address the long-running problem of classroom shortage, bringing hope to students this year and for many more years to come.

“In June 2010, the DepEd estimated the classroom shortage at 66,800 units. This backlog may grow to as much as 150,000 by 2016 as a result of population growth, and the implementation of the DepEd’s K+12 and Education for All (EFA) programs,” says Trissa Manalastas, representing the office of Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Francisco Varela.

To adapt to these rapid changes, the government needs to construct an estimated 30,000 classrooms per year in the next five years, quite a feat considering the government agency’s limited budget and resources.

The Aquino government’s public-private partnership (PPP) program is a promising solution to the limitations of both the public and private sectors acting alone.

“The Department of Education considers its private sector partners, both local and foreign, big and small, as its critical partners in improving the quality of Philippine education,” says Manalastas.  

“The private sector supplements and augments the government’s capacity to deliver basic education services, whether through the provision of inputs and facilities or the delivery of services such as feeding and computer literacy programs.”

Together with the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Finance, and the PPP Center of the Philippines, the DepEd has developed the PPP for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP) that will engage the private sector’s resources and technical expertise to address classroom construction needs nationwide.

This partnership aims to fast-track construction, reduce costs for government, and introduce innovations from the private sector.

“The PSIP was developed to harness and introduce new technology in the construction of public school classrooms, which government hopes would provide better quality facilities at reduced cost and at faster implementation timetables than the traditional construction program would allow,” Manalastas adds.

As opposed to the conventional procurement and construction program, PSIP projects will cover a multiple-site scope with several thousand classrooms being built per project. Apart from construction, the PSIP contract also includes provision for comfort rooms, as well as furnishing of the classrooms.

“The country is part of the global Education for All effort to ‘universalize primary education and massively reduce illiteracy’ by 2015. One way to attain such goal is to start with the provision for adequate, conducive and accessible learning facilities,” says Manalastas on the importance of infrastructure in the improvement of education. 

“Many studies reveal that adequate classrooms are necessary not only to improve access, but also to improve the quality of education. The environmental conditions in schools – such as classroom congestion, poor lighting, inadequate ventilation, and lack of school furniture – affect the learning of students.”

The first phase of the PSIP will be implemented in Regions I, III, and IV-A. The project is targeted to produce 9,301 classrooms in 2,204 schools.

Pre-qualification was conducted in the first quarter of 2012 and bidding from April to September 2012, resulting in two winning consortia – BF Corp. and Riverbanks Development Corp., and Citicore Investment Holdings, Inc. and Megawide Construction Corp.

“They are busy conducting site surveys in the recipient schools and preparing their detailed engineering designs for the project,” Manalastas reports.

“These shall be reviewed and certified by an independent consultant, which is expected to be on board in early January 2013. Once the designs are approved and building permits are secured, the proponents will be able to proceed with construction.”

The DepEd is likewise pursuing the second phase of PSIP which targets the construction of 10,679 classrooms in 14 regions nationwide.

So far, mock-up structures of two-story, two-classroom buildings have been constructed in Sta. Elena Elementary School and Malolos Marine Fisheries National High School in Malolos City, Bulacan.

“According to the principals and students of these schools, the classrooms are very comfortable and conducive to learning. We hope to get more feedback when the actual classrooms are put up in 2013,” says Manalastas.


Aside from enabling future graduates to attain better jobs, “The PSIP is also expected to produce non-monetary benefits to the students,” says Manalastas. “Education is known not only to lead to higher earnings but also to other non-labor market benefits. In particular, schooling may affect the degree one enjoys working at the same time that it could also lead individuals to make better decisions about health, marriage, and life in general.”

Reflecting on the New Year, Manalastas says, “2013 is a critical year for the department as we will be able to finally address perennial backlogs in classrooms, teachers and water and sanitation facilities given our budget of P292.7 billion. The provision of these basic inputs are key as the department gears up for the full implementation of the K to 12 reform cWe are happy to note that, using the latest census figures, we have already achieved 95 percent net enrollment rate in the elementary level.”

She adds, “We also look forward to more and even deeper public-private partnerships in education. This involves not only the current infrastructure PPP projects and the continuation of the Education Service Contracting Program with private high schools, but also new modes of PPPs for the delivery of the senior high school program with public and private higher education institutions.”