Around P1 billion has been allocated for the construction of a new 12-story classroom building in Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City, to address the severe classroom shortage in the area and its neighboring barangays.
Mandaue City Lone District Representative Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, in an interview on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, said the new building will be situated near the oval site in Barangay Paknaan.
She said Paknaan is currently experiencing a severe shortage of classrooms, with only 14 available for both elementary and high school students.
As a result, classes are held in three shifts daily to accommodate over 2,000 elementary students and more than 3,000 high school students.
“Nakita man g’yud namo based on our studies, gi-research namo nga kani atong Barangay Paknaan, which is one of the biggest barangay, nga ang skwelahan karun kuwang kaayo ang mga classroom,” said Dizon.
(We saw the need for additional classrooms in Barangay Paknaan, which is the biggest barangay.)
Paknaan is the largest barangay in Mandaue City, with a population exceeding 30,000 according to the 2020 Philippine Statistics Authority census.
Paknaan’s neighboring barangays, Umapad and Alang-Alang, do not have schools at all, further exacerbating the problem.
The Department of Public Works and Highways will start construction of the new school building in the first quarter of 2025, with completion anticipated by the end of the year.
The building will include libraries, laboratories, audio-visual rooms, a clinic, home economics rooms, and other essential facilities.
Undersecretary for School Infrastructure and Facilities Epimaco Densing III led the ocular of the site on July 10, together with Provincial Board Member Jonkie Quano, Mandaue City Councilor Nerrissa Soon-Ruiz, and Opao Barangay Captain Nixon Dizon.
Densing said the final height of the building, ranging from one to twelve stories, will be determined by the results of a soil test to assess the site’s capacity.
Dizon said their family friend, the Chua family, donated to the Department of Education (DepEd) some 2,000 square meters of land, which is required for the project.
The Chua family, Dizon added, is also willing to donate an additional 1,000 square meters if needed.
Dizon said DepEd will be the one to name the would-be classroom building.
Nationwide shortage of classrooms
Densing said the country faces a shortage of approximately 150,000 classrooms, with around 189,000 school buildings requiring major and minor repairs.
Densing highlighted that under the National Expenditure Program, the government allocated a budget of P15 billion for school buildings in 2025, including the new school in Paknaan.
In 2024, a policy was introduced advocating for the construction of multi-story school buildings in highly urbanized and densely populated areas.
Densing emphasized the importance of infrastructure in addressing long-standing educational challenges. While blended learning is seen as a viable option, face-to-face classes remain the preferred mode of education, he added.
The undersecretary said that once the new building is completed, the DepEd school division will decide on the distribution of the number of students in each of the new classrooms. / CAV