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Overcrowded classrooms, heatwave concern Filipinos ahead of school opening
The Philippines has long faced classroom shortage crisis. While the Marcos government focused on flood control projects riddled with corruption, there is a shortfall of 165,000 classrooms nationwide
- PUBLISHED: Sun 31 May 2026, 6:00 AM UPDATED: Mon 1 Jun 2026, 12:46 PM
Young Filipina mother Rosanna braved Manila’s 44°C heat index over the weekend to visit the bargain shopping district of Divisoria and buy school supplies for her seven-year-old son, Ken, who is set to enter Grade 1 soon.
The Philippine government has announced that the new academic year would commence on June 8. About 23.5 million elementary and high school students would again be descending on public and private schools across the country.
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“I am worried that classrooms would be too hot for Ken and other children at this time of the year,” Rosanna told Khaleej Times.
Aside from the hot weather, another major concern for parents like Rosanna are overcrowded classrooms.
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The Philippines has long faced a classroom shortage crisis. While the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration has prioritized flood control projects that later proved substandard due to corruption, the public school classroom shortfall currently stands at 165,000 units, according to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT).
The Department of Education, citing Commission on Audit reports, was quick to point out it is trying to build more classrooms after Vice President Sara Duterte — as former education secretary — made the situation worse. It revealed that in Duterte’s two years as education chief from 2022 to 2024, her department was only able to built an average of 192 classrooms annually, a measly 3 per cent completion rate of the planned 6,400 new classrooms planned every year.
The situation has maintained average public school classroom population at about 60 students per class nationwide. The recommended global average is 23 students per classroom.
ACT has consistently criticized the government about the acute classroom shortage. The pointed out that "while corrupt government officials fund irregular flood control projects, the hapless students and teachers suffer dangerous conditions inside classrooms during daytime."
Save the children
As the Philippines suffers from above-average heat indexes this year, the local United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has launched a campaign to save children from extreme heat made worse by climate change.
“Children are not small adults. Their bodies heat up faster, cool down more slowly, and rely on caregivers and systems for protection,” Unicef-Philippines said.
The international agency said prolonged extreme heat increases risks of heat stress, dehydration, respiratory illness, and reduced concentration, with infants, young children and those in dense urban areas most exposed.
Unicef-Philippines added such pressures may not look like emergencies, but children bear the consequences longest. It said that children are on the frontline of the climate crisis in the Philippines. “Over 97 per cent are exposed to three or more climate-related shocks,” it said, calling on the government to draw up and implements policies to protect the children.
So far, the Philippine education department has left the decision to school heads and local government units to suspend classes due to extreme weather, such as elevated heat indexes. As a result, tens of thousands of schools have suspended classes throughout academic year 2025-2026.
A mother's love
Meanwhile, Rosanna waxed nostalgic as she picked things for her son. “My mother used to buy my school supplies here in Divisoria when I was my son’s age. A notebook here is at least P20 (Dh1.20) cheaper and there are lots of choices,” she said.
Aside from notebooks, Rosanna bought two sets of school uniforms at P200 (Dh12) each. She also got a school bag, a pair of black school shoes, pencils, and crayons — all for P2,000 (Dh120).
Rosanna’s last purchase before going home from Divisoria was a portable handheld and battery-powered fan for Ken.
