Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
19th Congress 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________________ 
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE EMIGDIO P. TANJUATCO III 
EXPLANATORY NOTE
It is the policy of the State to “take into account, regional, and sectoral norms and
conditions and [shall] encourage local planning in the development of educational policies 
and programs.” (Philippine Constitution, Article XIV, Sec. 5 (1)). This mandate brings to mind
the predicament that our public schools are facing as the school-age population continues to 
grow while the national budget for education grows as well, but at a rate slower than what 
would accommodate the former without sacrificing the quality of education that is being 
provided. This is evidenced by the declining literacy in our school children, with Philippine 
Statistics Authority data from 2019 showing only 52.4% of our elementary graduates as 
being able to read, write, compute, and comprehend. 
Ballooning debt servicing has compromised our educational budget, resulting in less 
school buildings being constructed and fewer teachers being hired. To address this concern, 
the Department of Education has allowed extremely large class sizes, specially in the urban 
centers. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 
Institute for Statistics data show classrooms in the Philippines are among the most crowded 
in Asia. Our average class size is 43.9, far bigger than Malaysia's 31.7, Thailand’s 22.9, 
Japan’s 23.6 and even India’s 40. In public high schools, the country registered an average 
size of 56.1, higher than Malaysia’s 34, Thailand’s 41.5, Japan’s 33.9 and India’s 39.
This bill seeks to address these concerns by mandating the regulation of class size in 
public schools and providing for additional compensation for teachers handling large 
classes.
Approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
EMIGDIO P. TANJUATCO III 
July 1, 2022
8:01 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
19th Congress 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________________ 
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE EMIGDIO P. TANJUATCO III 
AN ACT
REGULATING CLASS SIZE IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AND APPOINTING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
SECTION 1. Title.  This Act shall be known as “The Public School Class Size Law.”
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy.  It is the declared policy of the State to protect and promote 
the right of all citizens to quality education.  It is likewise declared that the State shall provide 
just compensation and humane working conditions for public school teachers.
Oversized classes in the country’s public schools adversely affect the learning 
experience provided to Filipino schoolchildren.  To ensure access to quality education, it is 
necessary to establish standards for class size.
For their part, teachers are entitled to protection from unregulated increases in class 
size as well as to compensation commensurate to their actual workload.
SEC. 3. Coverage. This Act shall apply to all classes in all public schools of the Department 
of Education, and to all classroom teachers therein, whether paid by the national or local 
government.
SEC. 4. Standard Class Size.  Each class to be handled by a single teacher shall have a 
standard size of 35 students.  For purposes of this Act, any class with not more than 35 
students shall be considered a standard class.
SEC. 5. Large Class Size.  Any class exceeding 35 students up to a maximum of 50 
students shall be considered a large class.  In no case shall a class size in excess of 50 
students be permitted.
SEC. 6. Large Class Honorarium.  A teacher handling a large class shall be entitled to a 
large class honorarium equivalent to one percent (1.0%) of her daily rate for every student in 
excess of the standard class size of 35.
This formula shall apply to all classes assigned to the teacher during the school year.
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SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations.  The Department of Education shall 
promulgate the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this Act within a 
period of thirty (30) days after its effectivity. 
 
SEC. 8. Appropriations.  The amount of Two Billion Pesos (₱2,000,000,000) is hereby 
appropriated for the initial implementation of this Act.  Subsequently, the necessary funding 
shall be included in the appropriations for the Department of Education in the annual 
General Appropriations Act. 
 shall be included in the appropriations for the Department of Education in the annual 
General Appropriations Act. 
 
SEC. 9. Separability Clause.  If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is held 
unconstitutional, all other provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and 
effect. 
 
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause.  All laws, decrees, rules and regulations, and other issuances 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 11. Effectivity.  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or one (1) newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,