DepEd opens 1st fully air-conditioned public school

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara led the inauguration of the country’s first fully air-conditioned public school building in San Pedro City, Laguna yesterday.

Angara said the Pacita Complex II Elementary School’s new four-story, 12-classroom building is the first of its kind in the division of San Pedro, marking a milestone in efforts to modernize public school facilities.

He also cited the broader campaign to address the nationwide classroom backlog, noting that the Department of Education continues to adopt faster modes of construction, including leasing arrangements and partnerships with local governments and the private sector.

Angara also said that DepEd is strengthening its Disaster Preparedness and Response

Program as the Senate has increased their budget for DPRP to P3.77 billion.

He said the agency recently adopted the PlanSmart for Safe Schools web application to strengthen contingency planning, rolled out the M7X School Ready Program, which certifies earthquake-ready schools along the West Valley Fault, and issued the Safer Learning Facilities Guidebook to promote resilient school design.

DepEd also expanded the Dynamic Learning Program, EduKahon kits and Learning Continuity Spaces to help schools recover instructional time.

Angara also underscored the expanding role of the information technology and business process management industries in modernizing public school classrooms as the Cognizant Technology Solutions Philippines Inc. recently donated over 906 laptops to DepEd.

“We really want our students to be computer literate because we are now in the age of artificial intelligence. All industries will change, all methods will change, Filipinos must not be left behind,” Angara said.