EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara issued standards requiring future public schools to provide full access to persons with disabilities (PWDs).
DepEd Order 022 of 2026, which will take effect in 2027, establishes the Enhanced Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications for public schools.
"In line with President Marcos Jr.'s 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.
"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," he said.
The new building standards updating guidelines from 2017 and 2021 not only require future public schools to be fully PWD-accessible but also to be climate-resilient and "designed for optimal learning," the Department of Education said in a statement.
"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, non-skid surfaces, tactile paving with warning blocks for visually impaired learners, and PWD-accessible sanitation facilities equipped with safety handrails," the statement added.
"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," it added.
"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 percent floor-to-window area ratio, wall- and ceiling-mounted fans, and unblocked air vents," it said.
The specifications required desks to be lead-safe, ergonomic, and "suitable for both left- and right-handed learners," the DepEd said, adding that at least 20 percent of furniture components must be made from sustainable bamboo pursuant to Executive Order 879, based on the statement.
"To protect school communities against extreme natural disasters, structural specifications require all new buildings to withstand super typhoon winds of up to 340 [kilometers per hour] and major magnitude 8.0 earthquakes," the DepEd said.
"Mandatory engineering standards include anchored roof trusses, fire-retardant materials, footings at least 600 [millimeters] 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," it said.
"For campus security, sites will feature a 2-meter-high perimeter fence with controlled access gates to eliminate blind spots," it said.
"To lower heat absorption, reduce energy usage, and maintain visual conformity across all campuses, DepEd is standardizing 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," the DepEd said.
