Classroom shortage is a national crisis, Legarda warns as budget talks begin

As Congress prepares to debate the proposed 2027 national budget, Senator Loren Legarda has issued a stark warning: the nationwide classroom shortage has reached crisis levels, and the government must act now.

“When a child goes to school, the only thing he should be thinking about is his studies and not where he will sit or if the classroom is safe or if there’s still space for him,” Legarda said in Filipino. “It’s hard to learn in a classroom that’s crowded, hot, and unsafe. Teachers also find it hard to teach when there’s a lack of space and facilities. Every classroom not built, or left unusable, is a direct blow to access and quality of education.”

How big is the classroom backlog?

According to figures from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II), the country needs more than 165,000 new classrooms. And that number is expected to rise. Over 51,000 existing classrooms may need to be condemned by 2028 due to age and deterioration. If current gaps are not addressed, the classroom deficit could balloon to more than 200,000 by 2028.

Legarda stressed that the 2027 national budget must respond to this scale by ensuring sufficient funding for school infrastructure, including the construction of new classrooms and the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of aging and unsafe school buildings.

What does this mean for students and teachers?

The education of millions of Filipino children is disrupted every day. Overcrowded classrooms, shifting schedules, makeshift learning spaces, and aging school buildings put students’ safety at risk and limit teachers’ ability to teach effectively. “These conditions deny children the learning environment they need,” Legarda said.

Beyond the classroom shortage, the country continues to grapple with a learning crisis. Edcom II has identified inadequate school infrastructure, overcrowding, and unequal learning conditions as structural barriers that undermine learning outcomes.

Are far-flung communities being left behind?

The classroom shortage affects students nationwide, from densely populated urban schools to remote communities. But children in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) bear the heaviest burden of decades-long infrastructure gaps.

Legarda is the principal author of the proposed GIDA Schools Act, which seeks to institutionalize stronger government support for these underserved schools. The measure, whose enrolled copy was transmitted to the Office of the President on June 25, 2026, awaits presidential action. It aims to address long-standing gaps in infrastructure, learning resources, teacher support, and access to quality education.

“The classroom shortage is a problem not only in far-flung areas. It is a national challenge that schools face in cities and towns,” Legarda said. “But schools in GIDA are usually the ones with the biggest needs and the hardest to reach. So while we’re addressing the nationwide classroom shortage, we also need to ensure that children in the farthest communities will not be left behind.”

What can be done to speed up construction?

Legarda acknowledged that local government units, the private sector, and civil society can help accelerate classroom construction. But these partnerships should complement, not replace, the government’s responsibility to invest in public education.

On June 9, Legarda filed Senate Resolution No. 434, seeking an inquiry into classroom congestion, infrastructure gaps, land titling bottlenecks, procurement delays, and inter-agency coordination issues affecting the timely construction of school facilities.

She is also a co-author and co-sponsor of the proposed Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act, which would allow qualified local government units and civil society organizations to undertake school building projects using national appropriations, subject to Department of Education standards.

“Not only do we need to set aside a big budget. We also need to make sure that every peso set aside for education will become classrooms that are finished on time, safe to use, and will benefit children,” Legarda said. “This is our responsibility to every parent hoping to give their children a good future through education.”

What is the true measure of success?

Legarda stressed that laws, budgets, and government programs must be measured by the difference they make in the lives of Filipino children. “The measure of success is not how many laws are passed or how big a budget is approved. The true measure is if more Filipino children can study in a safe, orderly, and decent classroom,” she said.

“As long as there are children forced to study in corridors, covered courts, or under trees, our job is not yet finished.”