Education Secretary Sonny Angara has issued comprehensive new building standards requiring new public school projects covered by the effective date to be climate-resilient, fully accessible to persons with disabilities (PWDs), and designed for optimal learning.
DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026 establishes the Enhanced Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications (MPSS) for public basic education facilities. Effective starting Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, the policy updates guidelines from 2017 and 2021, serving as the technical reference pursuant to applicable DepEd policies, laws, codes and procurement laws for all future school infrastructure and furniture procurement.
Secretary Angara said the modern standards align directly with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to accelerate the delivery of safe, high-quality, and future-proof classrooms nationwide.
“In line with President Bongbong Marcos’ vision of an inclusive learning environment, these standards ensure that our schools respect learner dignity, protect their health, and welcome every Filipino child without exception,” Angara said.
The updated framework integrates universal accessibility with health protocols across all upcoming facilities.
“Having one unified standard makes it easier for our partners and project engineers to build right the first time. Proper airflow, ergonomic seats, and barrier-free pathways are not luxury add-ons, but basic prerequisites for effective learning.”
The updated framework integrates universal accessibility with health protocols across all upcoming facilities. All new school sites must feature standardized wheelchair ramps with a maximum 1:20 incline to be wheelchair-friendly and non-skid surfaces, tactile paving with warning blocks for visually impaired learners, and PWD-accessible sanitation facilities equipped with safety handrails.
To safeguard health, updated Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) rules mandate gender-separated restrooms and accessible handwashing stations, enforcing fixture ratios of at least one female toilet per 20–25 female learners and one male toilet per 25–30 male learners.
To curb overcrowding and boost learning comfort, standard general instruction rooms are set at 63 square meters designed to accommodate a maximum of 40 students. Classrooms must maintain continuous indoor cross-ventilation through a minimum 2.7-meter ceiling height, a 20% floor-to-window area ratio, wall- and ceiling-mounted fans, and unblocked air vents.
Classroom furniture specifications require lead-safe, ergonomic, and neutral desks suitable for both left- and right-handed learners, with at least 20 percent of furniture components constructed from sustainable bamboo pursuant to Executive Order No. 879.
Secretary Angara said the modern standards align directly with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to accelerate the delivery of safe, high-quality, and future-proof classrooms nationwide.
To protect school communities against extreme natural disasters, structural specifications require all new buildings to withstand super typhoon winds of up to 340 km/h and major magnitude 8.0 earthquakes.
Mandatory engineering standards include anchored roof trusses, fire-retardant materials, footings at least 600 mm deep, and specialized deep foundation micropiles or raft foundations for hazard-prone, weak-soil locations to guarantee a minimum structural design life requirement, subject to proper design, construction, maintenance, and site conditions.
For campus security, sites will feature a two-meter high perimeter fence with controlled access gates to eliminate blind spots.
To lower heat absorption, reduce energy usage, and maintain visual uniformity across all campuses, DepEd is standardizing building exterior colors to Baguio green for roofs, white for ceilings, cream for interior walls, ivory white for exterior walls, metallic gray for railings, and red for safety accents.
