More land needed to address Cavite classroom shortage: Angara

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More land needed to address Cavite classroom shortage: Angara

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

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MANILA — Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Wednesday said he has been urging the government to either lease or buy parcels of land in Cavite to construct more school facilities in Naic, where the enrollment rate has jumped by 900 percent.

Some 1,800 public school students were reportedly made to study in makeshift classrooms in Naic, Cavite, this school year due to the lack of classrooms in the area.

“Dito sa Naic, ito po kasi yung lagayan nung mga relocation sites so yung galing Maynila, galing NCR (National Capital Region), dinadala sa Naic,” Angara told reporters in a chance interview.

“So ‘yung eskuwelahan namin doon parang ang datos doon parang 900 percent ang increase sa enrolment so hindi nakakahabol yung construction,” he said, noting that the Department of Education (DepEd) needs at least 30 more classrooms to accommodate all public school students in Naic this school year.

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DepEd owns only about 500 square meters of land in Naic, Angara said.

“Ang hinihiling namin baka puwedeng i-lease o bilhin ng gobyerno para makapag construct tayo dahil ready po tayo mag construct kahit temporary learning space para hindi naman nauulanan at nababasa yung mga bata, mas permanente yung istraktura,” he said.

“‘Yun ang malaking problema ng Department of Education, wala na kami buildable space. Dahil wala kaming pondo para bumili ng lupa, wala din kaming kapangyarihan na mag-expropriate,” he said.

“Ang tanging may kapangyarihan na mag-expropriate o kumuha ng lupa ay ang national o local governments,” he added.

Angara also urged other government agencies to include the DepEd in the planning and construction of new relocation sites.

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“Importante dito na kapag nagcoconstruct ng relocation sites, maipaalam din sa DepEd pra makapag construct ng facilities katulad ng eskuwelahan, paaralan, mga daycare centers dahil mahirap yung gagawa tayo ng komunidad pero wala yung mga institution,” he said.

While the request for more building space has yet to be heeded, the DepEd has implemented a shifting system for students in Naic, Angara said.

This means that some students will have to be in school from early morning to after lunch, while others will start their classes in the afternoon until evening.

Aside from the lack of classrooms, the government is also addressing a shortage of public school teachers, Angara said.

In 2023, the Philippines lacked some 90,000 teachers, but that number has dropped to about 36,000 this school year, he said.

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