What Happened
The Department of Education (DepEd) ordered regional and division offices to report all ghost or unfinished school buildings. They must do this within 15 working days after the memo dated September 12, 2025.
Ghost buildings are those that may have started construction but stayed incomplete, or had issues like stopping for too long, structural defects, or parts not delivered.
Who Must Report
- Regional directors
- Schools division superintendents
- District supervisors
- DepEd engineers
They need to work together with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). This is to make sure records match for all school building projects.
What They Must Do
- Identify irregularities in school infrastructure projects. This includes:
- prolonged stoppage of construction;
- incomplete delivery of building components;
- structural defects.
- Coordinate with DPWH to reconcile or check records of such building projects.
- Submit reports using a prescribed template. Reports must be validated. Send them within 15 working days from the memo date.
- Consolidate findings via regional engineers. Then send the consolidated reports to the DepEd Central Office (email: [email protected]).
Why This Matters
- DepEd wants accountability. They want those responsible to be answerable for delays, defects, or poor work.
- The goal is to stop unfinished or unsafe school buildings from affecting learners. Students deserve safe, functional, and adequate classrooms.
- DepEd will use the reports for “corrective action.” That means they will take steps to fix issues and hold people responsible.
What Has Been Found Already
- Over 1,000 classrooms built by DPWH were flagged as incomplete or unusable.
- Media have reported concerns about schools where construction stopped for many years, or where what was built is unsafe or never used.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a “ghost” school building?
It is a school building project started but not finished, or done so poorly that it cannot be used safely. Sometimes there are structural defects or long delays.
Why only 15 working days?
DepEd wants to act fast. Short deadline helps urgency and makes sure the problem gets addressed quickly.
What if the regional office does not report in time?
The memo says DepEd will strictly monitor submissions via its Education Facilities Division. There may be consequences for not complying.
How will this help learners?
If unfinished or unsafe buildings are fixed or replaced, learners will have classrooms that are safe and usable. This will help their learning and well‑being.
Who pays for correcting the problems?
The parties responsible (contractors, engineers, officials) will likely be held accountable. Also, DepEd may coordinate with DPWH to check the funds and contracts.
The DepEd’s order to report unfinished or ghost school buildings is a step toward better transparency and safer classrooms. With regional and division offices required to act fast—within 15 days—there is hope that issues will be identified and fixed. Learners deserve proper spaces to study; officials must ensure school buildings are completed, safe, and usable.
