Cebu City’s Local School Board (LSB) is considering the construction of more classrooms for the city’s public elementary and high schools in line with the implementation of the K-to-12 curriculum.
In a press briefing at City Hall yesterday, LSB head Raddy Diola said more students will enroll in public schools in the coming school year.
Based on data provided by the Department of Education (DepEd), Diola said the city needs 700 additional classrooms for kinder, elementary and senior high school.
“The city’s SEF (Special Education Fund) will be used primarily for the construction of these new schools. We will also be asking for funding for classrooms from the national government through DepEd. And we will also be reaching out to the private sector for PPP,” Diola told reporters yesterday.
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The school board came out with a standard design for public school buildings to be constructed in the city. It can start with one-story buildings with five classrooms that can be expanded into four floors to accommodate 20 classrooms.
It will also have an open air roof-deck which can be used as a gym and basketball court, among others.
Diola said this design is efficient since the open area in which the new building will be constructed has only been integrated into the structure .
The stairways should be four-meters wide to ensure smooth passage for students during emergencies, he said.
The entire building can be built within a 500-square meter area with each classroom measuring seven by nine meters.
Diola said they pegged the amount for constructing the entire building at P26 million with each classroom costing P1.2 to P1.3 million.
“We are hoping to start construction of the new schools within this year. We will be prioritizing schools within the urban areas with more students enrolling,” he said.