165,000-classroom shortage: The long wait for solutions

Every school year opens with the same grim picture: children learning in cramped spaces, some sitting on the aisles for lack of chairs, others shuffling between double or even triple class shifts, and students in campus open spaces where seats are clustered to indicate different classrooms.

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According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) report, 5.1 million students are now "aisle learners"—a stark symptom of the 165,000-classroom shortage confirmed by the Department of Education (DepEd). And that figure does not even count thousands of old, and disaster-damaged rooms that no longer meet basic standards.

At the current pace of construction, the backlog will take some 30 to 55 years to erase, Education Secretary Sonny Angara had warned months ago. By then, an entire generation of students will have gone through school without ever seeing a properly equipped, uncrowded classroom.

This is more than an infrastructure backlog; it is an education crisis that robs children of the time, comfort, and environment they need to learn.