President Marcos has approved a P105.7-billion public-private partnership scheme, Phase 3 of the Public-Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP), to address the country’s 165,000-classroom shortage, Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced.
The program will initially construct 16,459 classrooms in 1,095 schools across key regions, easing congestion, lowering class sizes from 50 to 39 students, and generating over 57,000 jobs.
PSIP 3 complements nearly 24,000 classrooms already planned under the 2026 budget and introduces stricter transparency, monitoring, and performance standards for school construction.
Bidding for the project begins in March 2026, with construction expected to start in March 2027 and finish by March 2028, while the DepEd plans to build 105,000 classrooms nationwide under a build-lease-and-transfer scheme from 2026 to 2031.
The initiative also reinforces private education programs, with stakeholders pledging transparency in the Senior High School Voucher Program to protect public funds and ensure access for over 1.2 million learners.
Source: PhilNews24 | January 14, 2026
