The Department of Education (DepEd) is disputing recent findings regarding the national classroom shortage. While a congressional commission reported a backlog exceeding 166,000 classrooms, DepEd maintains the shortage is currently 143,543. This discrepancy highlights differing assessments of the country’s educational infrastructure needs. The Second Congressional Commission on Education released their report yesterday, prompting DepEd’s response. The department did not detail how their figure was calculated or where the difference in numbers originated. This disagreement raises concerns about accurately evaluating and addressing the challenges facing the Philippine education system. Resolving this conflict in data is crucial for effective resource allocation and future planning.