3 MIN READ

By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Cordillera Administrative Region Union urged the Department of Education to address classroom shortages, school repairs, weak internet access, and gaps in teacher preparation as School Year 2026-2027 opened on June 8.

The call came as enrollment in the Cordillera reached 214,267 learners from Kindergarten to Senior High School, based on DepEd-Cordillera’s Learner Information System Quick Count Facility as of 4:00 PM on June 8.

Public schools accounted for 208,297 enrollees, while private schools recorded 5,970 enrollees. State and local universities and colleges offering basic education have yet to submit their figures.

ACT-CAR said the region continues to face problems that affect quality learning, including the need for disaster-resilient infrastructure, basic facilities, and digital connectivity. It also called on DepEd to provide enough preparation and instructional materials for the newly imposed three-term program.

“Year in, year out, DepEd always starts each school year unprepared, with so many deficiencies in basic infrastructure,” ACT-CAR Union President Joel Capulong said.

Citing DepEd-CAR’s May 2026 report, the union said the region needs 1,964 additional classrooms. Only 149 classrooms are targeted for completion this year, while the rest are set for completion by 2030.

ACT-CAR said many schools also lack functional comfort rooms, faculty rooms, libraries, laboratories, clean water, and electric fans. It said schools in the disaster-prone region must prepare for typhoons, landslides, flooding, earthquakes, and other disaster impacts.

The union also flagged weak internet access in the region. It said that 400 to 500 public schools still lack reliable internet access, with several areas considered “dead zones” despite a 74.21% regional penetration rate.

ACT-CAR said the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Bayanihan Sim Card Initiative, which distributed 48,000 data-loaded SIM cards to learners, offers limited help in areas without signal. It said pre-downloaded materials can help, but add work for teachers who need to search for the signal.

The union acknowledged Brigada Eskwela but said community support should not replace government responsibility.

“While we are happy and grateful for community assistance and mobilization, we need to remind ourselves that infrastructure is primarily a government concern. The resources needed for real, lasting repairs cannot come from parents and communities already struggling amid a continuing economic crisis,” Regional Coordinator Louise Montenegro said.

ACT-CAR also criticized the implementation of curriculum reforms without what it called meaningful consultation with classroom teachers. Capulong cited the K-12 program and the Matatag curriculum as examples of changes that drew criticism from teachers and education experts.

The union said the promised benefits of K-12, including job-ready graduates, have not been proven, as companies and institutions still prefer college graduates for their workforce. Montenegro also said the reforms align with the priorities of foreign education funders rather than the needs and development aspirations of Filipinos.

ACT-CAR said the education crisis stems from the government’s failure to allocate the internationally recommended 6% of gross domestic product to education and from external dictates influencing policy. It joined calls to raise the education budget to that level and craft reforms based on the country’s needs.

“Only then,” the union declared, “can we decisively resolve the many problems confronting education in this country.”

Meanwhile, DepEd-Cordillera figures showed Baguio City had the highest enrollment in the region with 56,074 learners, followed by Benguet with 53,697 and Tabuk City in Kalinga with 24,774.

Mountain Province recorded 16,611 enrollees, Abra had 21.564, and Apayao had 16,595. The rest of Kalinga listed 12,993, while Ifugao posted the lowest tally with 11,959.

Elementary pupils from Grades 1 to 6 made up the largest group with 112,316 enrollees. Junior High School had 62,018 students, Senior High School had 26.085, and Kindergarten had 13,848.DepEd officials said enrollment centers will remain open throughout June as schools accept late registrants and remote upland schools submit final enrollment reports.# nordis.net