Makabayan bloc files HR 425 to probe DepEd school building program

Makabayan bloc lawmakers have filed House Resolution 425, urging the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture to investigate the Department of Education's (DepEd) school building program.

The resolution cites the "extremely low performance" of the program under both the Duterte and Marcos administrations, noting significant shortfalls in classroom construction targets.

According to data from the Commission on Audit from 2018 to 2024, both administrations repeatedly missed their targets.

In 2023, only 192 out of 6,379 planned classrooms were completed, a mere 3% accomplishment rate.

Previous years also saw substantial shortfalls, with only 11 classrooms built out of 47,000 targeted in 2018, and 187 out of 5,174 in 2020.

The lawmakers aim to understand the reasons behind these missed targets and underspending, especially given the nationwide classroom shortage of over 140,000.