BY next year, classroom shortage will no longer be a problem of the Department of Education (DepEd).

“We are confident that by 2013, shortage of classrooms will be addressed,” Education Sec. Armin Luistro said during the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed with the SM Group and Deutsche Bank for the construction of school buildings worth over P17 million in order to address the country’s perennial problem of classroom backlog.

Luistro signed the agreement with SM Foundation Executive Director Debbie Sy; Banco de Oro (BDO) Foundation President and Board of Trustees Member Maureen Abelardo; BDO Unibank Inc. Vice Chairperson and BDO Foundation Board of Trustees Member Cora de la Paz-Bernardo; BDO Unibank Inc. Adviser to the Board of Directors and BDO Foundation Board of Trustees Member Jesus Tirona; and Deutsche Bank’s Chief Country Officer Enrico Cruz and Country Chief Operations Officer Rhoneil  Fajardo.

Luistro said the resource gap in the country’s public school system is so huge that any help from other sectors especially private businesses is most welcome.

The agreement between DepEd and SM Prime calls for the construction of a one-unit two-story four-classroom school building with toilets in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Also, six units of a one-story two-classroom school building with toilet will be constructed – one each in Davao City and General Santos City; two units in Pampanga; one in Sariaya, Quezon; and one in Cebu City. The donation will also include armchairs, teachers’ tables and chairs, wall fans, blackboards and signage. The total project cost is P10.8 million.

SM Prime and Deutsche Bank pooled P2.15 million each to build a one-story two classroom unit in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan and a two-story, four-classroom unit in Tanza, Navotas City.

SM Prime and BDO Foundation will jointly build a P2.2 million one story four-classroom school building with toilets plus armchairs, teachers’ tables and chairs, wall fans, blackboards and a signage for students of Banisil National High School in Tambler, General Santos City.

All these three agreements will fall under the Adopt-A-School Program, one of DepEd’s most effective and creative ways of enjoining private-sector participation in public education.

SM Prime, BDO Foundation, SM Foundation and Deutsche Bank are participants to the private sector-led Bayanihang Pampaaralan of the 57-75 Movement which seeks to generate resources to build 10,000 classrooms within two years.