Isabela charts classroom shortages

ILAGAN CITY, Isabela — The provincial government of Isabela has begun mapping public schools with the most urgent infrastructure needs to speed up the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd).

Governor Rodito T. Albano III and the DepEd Schools Division Office of Isabela launched the assessment this week, identifying schools with the most severe classroom shortages to determine which projects should be prioritized.

The public schools mapping follows the memorandum of agreement signed by provincial governors and DepEd in Malacañang in February, allowing local governments to take a bigger role in school infrastructure development.

Under the agreement, provincial governments will oversee the procurement, construction, replacement, reconstruction, rehabilitation and repair of school buildings, while DepEd will provide funding support, engineering designs and technical supervision to ensure compliance with national standards.

DepEd has reported that the country lacked 145,170 classrooms as of December 2025, forcing many public schools to conduct classes in makeshift learning spaces or implement shifting schedules.

The National Government has committed to addressing the backlog through stronger partnerships with local government units, with an initial target of constructing about 4,000 classrooms under the program.

The ongoing mapping, the Isabela provincial government said, will enable it to channel resources to schools with the greatest need, fast-track the delivery of new classrooms and improve learning conditions for thousands of students across the province while helping address one of the country’s biggest education infrastructure challenges. — Artemio A. Dumlao