Gov't to wipe out classroom shortage by 2016

MANILA, Philippines - The government will build a total of 60,000 new classrooms to wipe out the classroom gap during the term of President Aquino.

Secretary Rogelio Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has told a House budget hearing that the school facilities would be constructed by private contractors under his agency’s supervision.

“The administration will undertake the massive school building program through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme,” he said.

He said contractor-investors would advance the money with the government paying for it in installments over 10 years.

“They will be required to maintain the classrooms so that when these are turned over to the government at the end of the 10-year-period, they will still be in good shape,” he said.

To lessen cost, Singson suggested that contractors resort to the modular system of cons-truction.

He said concrete slabs needed for the school buildings could be fabricated in one strategic area in a region and then transported to communities where the classrooms would be built.

He said he is asking local government officials to cooperate with the DPWH and private contractors by expediting the issuance of the necessary building and quarrying permits.

He urged lawmakers to help the administration wipe out the classroom shortage by devoting a large part of their pork barrel funds to putting up school buildings.

On Thursday, education officials announced that contracts have been awarded to two private companies for the construction of an initial 9,301 classrooms in the Ilocos region, Central Luzon and Southern Luzon.

The winning bidder for the Ilocos area is a consortium of BF Construction and Riverbanks Development Corp., which are controlled by former chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metro Manila Development Authority, and publicly listed construction firm Megawide Corp.

Earlier, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad told congressmen that Aquino is committed to wipe out shortages in teachers, classrooms, textbooks, chairs, and other school equipment during his term.

According to Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, the President has proposed the appropriation of more than P14 billion next year for the hiring of 61,500 new teachers and 3,500 non-teaching personnel.

“It will be the biggest recruitment of teaching personnel since World War II,” the congressman said.

He said there is also P1.5 billion for additional textbooks in Aquino’s proposed P2-trillion 2013 national budget, P575 million for chairs, P7 billion for scholarships, and P1.7 billion for the schooling of 1.4 million new kindergarten pupils.