Despite being affected by super typhoon Carina and Habagat, teachers and parents at Bagong Silangan Elementary School in Quezon City clean classroom, paints arm chairs and prepare the classroom on Sunday, July 28, 2024, a day before the first day of School Year 2024-2025 tomorrow July 29. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA -- The Department of Education (DepEd) is planning to have more public-private partnerships to help address the "perennial problem of classroom backlogs." 

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said his agency is still prioritizing the construction of new school buildings, new classrooms, as well as digital services for teachers and students. 

"Ang tinutulak natin ngayon is mag-PPP tayo, public-private partnerships. Ibig sabihin, malakihan, bulto-bulto, 1,000 classrooms. Magpapa-bid tayo ng isang libong school buildings at i-o-offer natin sa private sector na magko-construct," said Angara.

One example of this, he said, is the Adopt-A-School Program and its potential tax benefits to donors. 

"Baka hindi alam noong ibang negosyante o ibang nagdo-donate, ibang charitable organizations, ipaalam niyo sa kanila na kapag nagdo-donate sila ng school building, maide-deduct nila doon sa kanilang taxable income," he said. 

"Marami lang hindi nakakaalam na may batas na ganoon. So with the help of the community, sana maipaalam natin sa kanila," he said. 

The DepEd earlier said that classroom shortage stood at more than 159,000, with only over 2,000 new ones being constructed yearly.

Despite an approved budget to address the problem, only 40 percent of the allocated funds had been used due to delays in the procurement process, according to the agency.