Adequate classrooms are necessary for quality education. Several means have been employed to address this concern, but with a fast-growing population, shortages have never been eradicated. Since 2004, a total of 76,710 classrooms (elementary and high school combined) have been put up. This was achieved through the combined efforts of DepEd, DPWH, the local governments, private sector donors, school principals and members of Congress. Another response to reduce the pressure on infrastructure has been the use of alternative delivery modes (ADM) of education, such as the use of ICT. The availability of a database on ADM (e.g., the share of ADM to the total number of all learning delivery modes) will facilitate in determining the number of classroom required.
Despite continuing efforts to build new schools and make the most of what is present, the shortage persists. This is especially true in far-flung and remote areas. The total classroom requirement is 152,569 for all levels. For next school year, the estimated requirement for public schools is some 113,000 new classrooms, with an estimated cost of over PhP77 billion. This does not include the need for major repairs on 14 percent of existing classrooms estimated to cost PhP14 billion in 2011. The large demand for new classrooms makes the need for innovative approaches to the provision of classrooms even more urgent.
The damage caused by various calamities hitting the country present a further challenge to maintaining an adequate number of classrooms. This is also related to the typical use of public schools as temporary shelters for those affected by disasters.
To date, not all schools have adequate sanitation facilities, a fact that may lead to the degradation of students' health. This, in turn, may adversely affect the academic performance of students.
Closing the classroom gap and improving the quality of educational facilities will not only provide learners with the needed infrastructure for education, but also a conducive and suitable learning environment that will enhance the teaching-learning process, contributing to the improvement of their academic performance. Through this indirect but obvious way, addressing the infrastructure deficits in education contributes to economic growth and social development.