By Ma. Teresa Montemayor | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Education (DepEd) is exploring the feasibility of leasing closed private schools and other underutilized private properties as part of its innovative approach to ease the country’s classroom shortage, which reached over 165,000 in 2022.
In collaboration with the Student First Coalition (SFC) and various government agencies, DepEd recently conducted a Classroom Market Scoping Activity to assess available properties and potential partnership models with the private sector.
The initiative aims to make classroom leasing a scalable and cost-effective strategy nationwide.
“We need to think creatively if we want to move fast,” DepEd Sec. Sonny Angara said in a statement on Thursday.
“If there are schools or buildings sitting idle that can be used, let’s open them for the benefit of our learners who need classrooms now.”
The market scoping activity presented DepEd’s Standard Classroom Specifications, current classroom needs, and details of its Leasing Pilot Program, followed by a forum with property developers and government partners.
Among those who participated were major real estate firms including Colliers, Santos Knight Frank, Leechiu, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., Lobien Realty Group and REBAP Inc.
Key government agencies such as the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Corps of Engineers also took part in the discussion.
“This effort turns the classroom shortage crisis into an opportunity for collaboration and innovation,” DepEd Undersecretary for Strategic Management Ronald Mendoza said.
“Instead of waiting two to three years for new classrooms to be constructed, we are identifying existing facilities that can be adapted within six months to meet students’ needs.”
One of the first properties being considered for lease is the Pita Property, formerly the Rainbow Institute of Learning, Inc., in Laguna. The 1,385-square-meter campus, closed since 2020, sits only two kilometers from Don Manuel Rivera Memorial Integrated National High School, which currently lacks 22 classrooms.
The property includes seven classrooms, cafeteria, an office and a covered court with a stage—facilities that DepEd believes could be quickly repurposed for immediate use.
DepEd clarified that the leasing initiative will complement, not replace, its ongoing infrastructure programs such as the Flexible School Building Implementation Plan and public-private partnerships for school construction.
Insights gathered from the market scoping activity will be presented at the upcoming Classroom Summit, where DepEd aims to consolidate reform proposals and design new models for school infrastructure delivery.
