The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday turned over a four-story, 16-classroom school building at the Santiago Elementary School in General Trias, Cavite in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to address classroom shortage.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the turnover shows the government’s resolve in easing the current pressure on both time and space in public schools.

“Proven naman po yan, kapag siksikan ang mga silid, hindi makapagturo nang maigi ang teachers. Ayaw na po natin ng (That’s proven, when rooms are overcrowded, educators cannot teach efficiently. We do not want) shifting as much as possible,” he said.

The four-story building boosts the school’s capacity, which currently caters to more than 2,400 primary learners.

It comes with smart televisions, armchairs, and safety features, including fire alarms and emergency lights.

The accelerated school building construction was made possible through the partnership between the DepEd and the city government, which utilized its Special Education Fund.

In less than three years, more than 100 classrooms have been constructed or are under construction across the schools division of General Trias City.

Angara previously said that similar flexible measures are in place to speed up classroom construction and delivery nationwide, with the help of the expanded public-private partnerships, as well as the Adopt-A-School Program. (PNA)