The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to receive ₱28 billion in 2026 to upgrade basic education facilities—covering the construction, repair, and rehabilitation of classrooms nationwide—in a bid to ease the worsening shortage and overcrowding in public schools.
DepEd will take the biggest slice of the ₱6.793-trillion 2026 national budget, with ₱863.3 billion allocated under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by Malacañang to Congress.
The ₱28 billion for school facilities will be broken down as follows:
- ₱13.24B – construction, replacement, and completion of school buildings and tech-voc labs; disability access facilities; water and sanitation; and site improvements such as drainage, fencing, slope protection, and removal of unsafe structures.
- ₱2B – medium-rise school buildings and site improvements.
- ₱56M – Alternative Learning System (ALS) community learning centers.
- ₱6.13B – rehabilitation, renovation, and repairs under the “Repair All Policy.”
- ₱500M – school health facilities (toilets, water systems, handwashing facilities, and PWD accessibility).
- ₱209M – conversion of SPED centers into Inclusive Learning Resource Centers (ILRCs).
- ₱1B – construction and repair of library hub buildings.
- ₱1B – engineering activities (site validation, soil testing, perimeter survey, hiring of engineers).
- ₱2.61B – acquisition of school desks, furniture, and fixtures.
- ₱1.29B – electrification of off-grid schools and modernization of on-grid electrical systems.
Beyond facilities, the 2026 NEP also earmarks ₱13.63B for the GASTPE voucher program, ₱5.9B for textbooks, and ₱4.17B for the school feeding program.
Malacañang reiterated that education remains the top priority, with the budget designed to address learning gaps, modernize resources, and strengthen classroom resilience against disasters like floods and typhoons. The proposal is now up for congressional scrutiny.