The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday said it has strengthened its project monitoring framework as it partners with 168 local government units (LGUs) to construct classrooms nationwide.
“We are working tirelessly to ensure these classrooms are built with efficiency and transparency as this infrastructure is the bedrock of a quality learning environment,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said in a news release.
“We will continue to hold our partners and our internal systems to the highest level of accountability to ensure these projects remain on track,” he added.
According to the agency, 72 provinces, 73 cities, and 23 municipalities have signed Supplemental Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) for the localized classroom building program.
The enhanced monitoring framework aims to ensure that local infrastructure projects align with national timelines, digital validation, and strict quality protocols. All LGU-implemented projects are ordered to strictly adhere to DepEd’s technical standards, safety protocols, and the New Government Procurement Act.
DepEd said that 130 of the 149 monitored LGUs are currently conducting pre-procurement activities, including pre-bidding, posting, opening of bids, preparation of the Program of Work (POW) and Detailed Architectural and Engineering Design (DAED), and market scoping. These activities cover construction requirements for 358 schools nationwide.
Three LGUs have also advanced to the procurement award stage for 22 school sites.
The agency noted that it continues to use INSIGHTED, a real-time digital validation and monitoring system, to track construction progress and monitor the remaining LGUs.
“Our goal is not merely to construct buildings, but to ensure that every peso spent translates into quality and safe classrooms for our learners,” Mr. Angara said in Filipino.
“Under the directive of President Marcos, we continue to strengthen monitoring to ensure that every project meets our high standards,” he added.
The localized classroom construction program complements the agency’s other infrastructure initiatives to address the current classroom gap of over 144,000.
DepEd has allocated P65.9 billion from its P1.015-trillion 2026 budget for the construction of 24,964 new classrooms, and P7.7 billion for the repair and rehabilitation of 11,886 classrooms. — Almira Louise S. Martinez
