MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Tuesday, May 28, said that Metro Manila needs high-rise school buildings to address classroom shortage in the region.

Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro said that in the provinces, pieces of land where the DepEd’s model of two-storey buildings could be built are available, which makes addressing classroom shortage in these areas easier.

But Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the same is not true in Metro Manila, especially due to the number of students that need to be accommodated in the region.

“Given the current situation of the metro, it is more difficult to find lands where we can build classrooms…Now they are trying to refine the models because high rise buildings are needed at least for here in Metro Manila.”

Metro Manila is one of the deeply-populated areas in the country, along with Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.

She gave assurances that with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) working on an ongoing project, the classroom shortage in the country is being addressed by the government.

“We are very well aware of the classroom shortage that we have apart from the year-on-year requirements that need to be met,” Valte said.

This is in response to Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Teachers Rep Antonio Tinio, who said the shortage of classrooms in public elementary schools was a cause for concern and the lack of public high schools was a more serious problem.

He added that the shortage of classrooms would keep 4.6 million youth out of school this school year. Tinio said some high schools were too far from students in the previous years, thus forcing them to quit their studies.

DepEd said last Monday that they expect to eliminate before the year ends the classroom shortage of 66,800, which was recorded when the Aquino government took power in 2010. – Rappler.com