DPWH to fast-track classroom construction

2025 completion rate is 15.43%

- BY TRIXEE ROSEL

• 882 projects have not yet started

• 822 others under construction

• Classroom backlog may hit 200,000 in 2028

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has pledged to accelerate classroom construction nationwide after reporting that only 22 of the target 1,700 classrooms for 2025 have been completed so far.

During the Senate Committee on Finance hearing for the DPWH's proposed P625.78-billion budget for fiscal year 2026, Secretary Vince Dizon admitted that a 15.43-percent completion rate is “unacceptable.”

He noted that 822 classrooms remain under construction while 882 projects have yet to start, underscoring the urgent need to improve project implementation.

Senator Bam Aquino, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, highlighted the country's classroom backlog of 146,000, warning it could reach 200,000 by 2028 if construction continues at the current pace.