THE CITY government has funded the construction of 25 school buildings over the past two years, but a lawmaker here said the classroom gap remains above 4,000.
Councilor Petite Principe, chair of the committee on education, science and technology, said the city has built a number of school buildings, but construction is still primarily the Department of Education’s (DepEd) job.
During the Pulong Pulong sa Dabawenyos on Tuesday, Prinsipe said DepEd data from last year put the classroom shortage at more than 4,000, considering the ratio of 1 classroom to 30 students.
“The Department of Education has the budget for that, because it is their responsibility, but we in the City Government are helping,” she said.
The official reported that the city funded 12 school buildings in 2024, with a total of 49 classrooms, and nine Home Economics buildings.
In 2025, it funded 13 school buildings with 90 classrooms, and an additional four Home Economics buildings.
Prinsipe said 2026 figures were not yet available, but the Local School Board sets aside funds for classroom construction at every meeting, citing the city’s awareness of the shortage.
She added that DepEd and the city government have signed a memorandum of agreement to speed up school construction.
Under the agreement, DepEd will transfer funds to the city, which will implement the construction. She said two schools have already gone through the process as of 2026.
In an earlier interview, Principe said the committee is helping speed up the application for Deeds of Usufruct between the city and the Department of Education.
She stressed that there are a lot of schools where the title is in the name of the city, but there is no proper documentation.
Principe clarified that the city has enough funds, but due to a lack of proper documents, local funds cannot be used for construction.
The councilor reported that in 2025, about 60 out of more than 400 schools in Davao City still have pending usufruct agreements.
Principe said the city also targets piloting solar-powered projects for schools without electricity, especially in Marilog and Paquibato, where access to electricity remain challenges.
