THE Cebu City Government is set to construct seven new school buildings across various barangays in response to growing student populations and classroom congestion.
Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said on Monday, April 21, 2025, that the procurement process for five school buildings has already started, while the remaining two are set to begin.
Garcia said the additional school buildings are aimed at improving learning conditions and prioritizing student safety by eliminating evening class schedules.
According to data from the Cebu City Schools Division, the city has a total of 69 public elementary schools and 57 public secondary schools.
Garcia recalled that in the past three years, only two school buildings were constructed, which he inaugurated recently.
The new school buildings will rise in San Jose Elementary School, Cebu City National High School, Labangon Elementary School, San Nicolas Elementary School, Tisa II Elementary School, Hipodromo Elementary School and Pit-os Elementary School.
Shifts
These schools are currently operating at full capacity, with some implementing morning and evening shifts due to limited classroom space.
John Jigo Dacua, head of the Office of the City Superintendent of Schools, has emphasized the need to end this setup for the students’ welfare.
“With enough school buildings nga pwede eskwelahan sa mga bata, ma-eliminate gyud ning sharing kay lisod man god kaayo nga naay mga bata pa nga mag-eskwela sa gabii (With enough school buildings, we can eliminate classroom sharing and ensure that no child has to attend night classes),” Dacua said in an interview on Monday.
Dacua said that in one of their meetings, Garcia pointed out the need to eliminate this kind of system to ensure the safety of the students.
The school buildings that will be constructed will have four floors with five classrooms each, a roof deck designed as a multi-purpose space, automated fire sprinkler systems and solar panel installations for energy efficiency, Dacua said.
Each facility can accommodate up to 900 students, helping decongest existing schools and improve the student-teacher ratio. The ideal teacher-student ratio was supposedly 1:25; however, the Department of Education (DepEd) has raised it to 1:45.
DepEd will determine which grade levels will occupy the new classrooms, he added.
Budget
The City allocated P50 million per school building, sourced from special education funds. According to Dacua, five projects have already been bid out, while two are undergoing procurement.
Dacua also revealed that some barangays in Cebu City still lack schools, forcing students to travel to neighboring barangays.
“Parents are forced to send out their children to other barangays just for their children to study. To bridge this gap, the mayor wanted to have more school buildings,” he said.
Garcia stressed that this initiative aligns with his administration’s commitment to prioritize education.
“This is in line with our directive to put education at the forefront in our administration and at the same time we see that there is really a shortage of classrooms,” he said.
“Our goal and aim is to put as many school buildings so that ang atong mga estudyante dili na lagyo og travel. That’s also for their safety and security,” he added. / JPS