Big budget, but no quick fix for schools – Aquino

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Sen. Bam Aquino warned that the country’s classroom shortage cannot be solved overnight, saying it would take at least seven years of sustained construction and efficient implementation, even with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) historic budget.

Aquino, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said that while the PHP 1.015-trillion budget allocated to the DepEd is a record high, addressing the classroom gap requires long-term commitment and proper execution.

DepEd has reported a nationwide shortage of about 165,000 classrooms.

“If that will be our level of spending, we would need seven years with the same budget [to address the classroom backlog],” Aquino said in an interview in Iloilo City on Sunday, Jan. 25.

He emphasized that the issue cannot be resolved in a single year and that consistent, well-targeted investments in infrastructure and education are necessary to close the gap within six to seven years.

“There is no overnight solution or something that can be done in a single year. This really needs to be taken seriously, closely monitored, and the problems in education must be addressed one by one so they can be resolved,” he said.

Aquino said the goal for 2026 is to begin construction of around 25,000 classrooms using the increased DepEd budget.

As of October 2025, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had completed just 22 out of 1,700 targeted classrooms under the Basic Education Facilities Fund. Of the remaining projects, 822 were ongoing, while 882 had yet to start.

Between July 2022 and July 2025, DPWH and DepEd jointly built 22,092 classrooms, reducing the backlog from 165,443 to 146,708, although the 2025 targets still fell short.

Aquino stressed that while the budget boost is critical, it is only the beginning.

“We fought for a bigger budget, many of us in the Senate and in the House. But that is just a first step. After the budget has been approved, it should be implemented appropriately — in the right time and at the right price,” he said.

In addition to classroom construction, the DepEd budget includes funding for school feeding programs, textbooks, teacher hiring, laptops and digital tools, and increased support for teachers and schools in remote areas.

“The problem in education is really wide, but my committee is dedicated and committed to solving these issues — pushing for a bigger budget and, more importantly, correct spending to meet the needs of the education sector,” Aquino said.