Cebu City builds 7 new school buildings to address classroom shortage

Local

TO ease overcrowding in public schools and eliminate night classes, the Cebu City Government is building seven new school buildings in several barangays, city officials confirmed on Monday, April 21.

Lawyer John Jigo Dacua, head of the Office of the City Superintendent of Schools, said the ongoing construction aims to address the growing number of students in the city and improve access to safer and more convenient learning spaces.

“Every year, the number of students keeps increasing. Some schools are already sharing campuses — elementary classes are held in the morning, and high school classes in the evening. The mayor wants to eliminate this system so all students can attend school during the day, which is safer for them,” Dacua said in an interview.

The new buildings will rise in the following schools: San Jose Elementary School, Cebu City National High School, Labangon Elementary School, San Nicolas Elementary School, Tisa II Elementary School, Hipodromo Elementary School, and Pit-os Elementary School.

Each four-story building will house 20 classrooms and can accommodate up to 900 students. Dacua said five of the seven buildings have already been awarded for construction, while two are undergoing procurement.

The city has allocated P50 million for each building, with funding sourced from the Special Education Fund (SEF), which comes from one percent of real property taxes.

Aside from easing classroom congestion, the new school buildings are designed to offer modern, safe, and student-friendly features.

Each four-story building will have five classrooms per floor, with each room measuring seven meters by nine meters, or 83 square meters.

Common male and female toilets will also be provided on every floor to ensure convenience for students and staff.

The buildings will feature spacious corridors and staircases to allow smooth and safe movement, particularly during emergencies.

A roof deck will serve as a multipurpose area for various school activities, while jalousie windows will help enhance natural airflow and ventilation inside the classrooms.

To ensure accessibility, each building will be equipped with ramps for persons with disabilities (PWDs). Safety systems will include automated fire sprinklers and a dedicated fire tank, while the water supply will be supported by two overhead tanks and a cistern tank.

The new school buildings will also be ready for solar panel installation to help reduce electricity costs.

Dacua emphasized that the city is investing in these features to create a safer, more comfortable environment for students, especially in highly congested schools.

The construction also aims to reduce the need for students to travel long distances to attend school. Dacua said some barangays have no schools at all, forcing families to send their children to nearby, and sometimes far, barangays.

“If we continue building new schools every year, we can prevent parents from sending their children to faraway barangays. There will be more accessible schools in their own communities,” he said.

Dacua explained that the sites were selected through a joint decision of the Local School Board and the Department of Education (DepEd), focusing on schools where classrooms are already full.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining an ideal student-to-teacher ratio to ensure quality education. While the recommended ratio is 1:25, some public schools in Cebu City currently handle as many as 45 students per class due to the shortage of classrooms.

For areas like Barangay Lahug, where space is scarce, Dacua said the city is looking to acquire additional land to build new school structures.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said the city is serious about solving the classroom shortage, which has forced high school students to attend classes at night for years.

“Our priority is to build more schools so students won’t have to travel far, and so they can attend classes during the day, which is much safer for them,” Garcia said during a press conference.

Garcia said the city is working to phase out the night class system, which was introduced many years ago as a temporary solution to the classroom shortage.

“It’s better if our students can go to school during the day. That way, they can go home safely while there’s still daylight,” the mayor added.

The construction of the seven new school buildings is part of the city’s long-term plan to address the growing student population and ensure a safe, accessible, and quality learning environment for all.(TGP)