CABANATUAN CITY (PIA) — Responding to the urgent need for more learning spaces, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed a new multipurpose building at Valdefuente Elementary School in Cabanatuan City, now serving as additional classrooms.
DPWH Nueva Ecija OIC-Assistant District Engineer Leonora Cruz emphasized the need for efficient classroom construction, citing the urgency of the ongoing classroom shortage and the government’s commitment to fast-tracking infrastructure projects that improve student learning conditions.
“The completion of this new facility boosts the morale of students and teachers while underscoring the national government’s commitment to enhancing education and learning spaces,” Cruz said.
The one-story, 213.75-square-meter building now houses two classrooms for the school’s 355 learners.
2nd District Engineer Robert Jay Panaligan said the structure, built one meter above ground, aims to ease classroom congestion and enhance the school environment.
Panaligan also cited the Department of Education’s (DepEd) January 2025 data, which reports a nationwide shortage of 165,443 classrooms—a deficit that could take decades to address without accelerated interventions.
“The classroom shortage, along with the funding priorities of the DepEd’s Basic Educational Facilities Fund, prompted the conversion of the multipurpose building into a school facility,” he explained.
Funded under the 2024 national budget with a total cost of P4.89 million, the project contributes to improving the school’s infrastructure and supports its educational objectives.
It reflects the national government’s continued effort to invest in education and enhance learning spaces across the country. (CLJD/RPQ, PIA Region 3-Nueva Ecija)
