Cebu City to build 7 new school buildings

CEBU, Philippines — To ease classroom congestion and address the shortage of educational facilities, the Cebu City Government is set to construct seven additional school buildings with up to 140 classrooms across the city.

During a press conference on Monday, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced that the city will now prioritize education, noting that previous administrations had halted the construction of new school buildings.

He shared that only two additional school buildings have been inaugurated so far. With this new initiative, at least seven sites have already been identified—five of which have begun the procurement process. The schools set to benefit from the project are San Jose Elementary School, Cebu City National High School, San Nicolas Elementary School, Tisa Elementary School, Hipodromo Elementary School, and Pit-os Elementary School.

According to Garcia, the initiative was launched following an assessment confirming a severe shortage of classrooms in the city. Citing specific cases, he noted that students in Bacayan and Pit-os currently travel to Talamban for school, while those from Kamputhaw attend classes in Lahug.

“Mao na atong goal and aim is to put as many school buildings para atong mga estudyante dili na lagyo ilang travel,” said Garcia.

He acknowledged that Cebu City is currently grappling with classroom congestion, which has compelled the city government to intervene. Looking ahead, Garcia said this initiative may eliminate the need for night classes that were implemented due to the lack of school facilities.

He added that the project fulfills a long-standing vision dating back to the administration of former mayor Tomas Osmeña, when schools were forced to divide students into day and night shifts due to limited space. Garcia emphasized that the new project aims to enhance student safety and reduce reliance on evening classes.

In a separate interview, Attorney John Diego Dacua, head of the City Superintendent of Schools also known as Local School Board, said the construction of the new buildings is a response to the growing student population in Cebu City.

Currently, some schools operate on a shared-use basis, with elementary students using the facilities in the morning and high school students attending in the evening.

“Ganahan unta nato ni i-eliminate nga system ba with enough school buildings nga skwelahan sa mga bata, ma-eliminate gyud nga mag-sharing kay lisod man gud kaayo nga naa pay mga bata nga mag-skwela pa inig kagabie,” said Dacua.

He added that the new buildings—each capable of housing 900 students—are intended to provide a more conducive learning environment and improve access to education.

Dacua explained that the ideal student-to-classroom ratio is one classroom for every 25 students. However, the Department of Education is currently operating with a ratio of 1:45.

“Now if ma-sige ta og puno og estudyante, syempre ang quality sa learning sa mga estudyante, mu-lower jud sya,” said Dacua.

He stressed that reducing the student-teacher ratio is key to improving the quality of education.

According to Dacua, the Cebu City Government has allocated a budget of P50 million per building, to be sourced from the Special Education Fund—which corresponds to 1% of Real Property Tax collections.

Each school building will feature five classrooms per floor, separate restrooms for male and female students, spacious corridors and staircases, a roof deck designed as a multi-purpose area, jalousie windows for improved ventilation, ramps for persons with disabilities, automated sprinklers, a fire tank, two overhead water tanks, a cistern for water supply, and provisions for installing a solar panel system.

“For this year, mao pa ni ang pito, but definitely for the succeeding years, kung maigo pa sa atong budget, makapapuno pa ta,” said Dacua. — (FREEMAN)