The Department of Education (DepEd) is studying the possibility of leasing closed private schools and underused properties to address the country’s classroom shortage, which reached over 165,000 in 2022.
In partnership with the Student First Coalition (SFC) and various government agencies, DepEd recently held a Classroom Market Scoping Activity to identify available properties and explore partnership models with the private sector.
“We need to think creatively if we want to move fast,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said. “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 initiative aims to make classroom leasing a cost-efficient and scalable strategy nationwide. The event presented DepEd’s classroom standards, ongoing needs, and details of its Leasing Pilot Program.
Among the participants were top real estate firms such as Colliers, Santos Knight Frank, Leechiu, Jones Lang LaSalle, Lobien Realty Group, and REBAP Inc., along with key government agencies including 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.
“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 sites being considered is the Pita Property in Laguna, formerly the Rainbow Institute of Learning, Inc., which has been closed since 2020. The 1,385-square-meter campus includes seven classrooms, a cafeteria, an office, and a covered court—facilities that could be 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 from the scoping activity will be presented at the upcoming Classroom Summit, where DepEd will finalize new models for delivering school infrastructure efficiently.
