Solon rues meager DepEd funds for new classrooms

MANILA — Days after the Department of Education cited progress in solving classroom shortages, a House representative vented his fury at being given just enough funds in his poverty-stricken district to build 13 new classrooms out of a backlog of over 700.

Interjecting during a House hearing on the K to 12 program, a visibly frustrated Rep. Adrian Amatong (Zamboanga del Norte, 3rd District) called out DepEd for its “unfair” allocation of funds for new school infrastructure, stressing that there needs to be enough classrooms first before adjusting the curriculum.

“Usec. Densing, I came to you last year practically begging to provide funds for my district,” Amatong said, addressing Epimaco Densing, DepEd’s official in charge of school infrastructure.

“I begged you, with 55% of my constituents living below the poverty threshold, we need classrooms so students can study well and they can succeed and pull their families up. But you give us how many (school buildings)? Seven? How is that fair?” the Zamboanga Del Norte lawmaker said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Both Amatong and Rep. Jaime Fresnedi (Muntinlupa City) raised the issue of inadequate school infrastructure during the

House panel’s deliberation on a bill that aims to improve senior high school graduates’ employability, saying that DepEd has failed to catch up on the worsening classroom shortage after the implementation of K to 12.

Amatong said: “We want to assess our students based on what program, but we may be forgetting that many of these students cannot listen (in class). This is not an issue of program alone.”

The lack of classrooms has plagued the education sector for years and across different DepEd secretaries, posing a hindrance to teachers and school officials’ various efforts to improve students’ learning through adjustments in curriculum and teaching.

Classrooms needed for ‘equal shot’ at life

Amatong told Philstar. com that for 2024, the third district of Zamboanga del Norte, which he represents, was allocated funding for just six new school buildings, including 13 new classrooms.

The lawmaker said the budget given barely plugs the classroom shortage in his district, which hovers around 704 to 794, based on the estimates of a DepEd engineer who spoke to him.

This is on top of 1,000 classrooms that need repairs, Amatong added.—