WITH P1.178 billion in available funding for the procurement of textbooks and instructional materials (IMs) in 2021, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported disbursements of only P4.19 million or just 0.36 percent for the entire year.
Based on the FY 2021 Physical Accomplishment Report, not one book or learning material was acquired by the DepEd even if the physical target at the start of the year listed 33,367,948 textbooks and instructional/learning materials for printing and delivery.
“The DepEd registered zero percent physical accomplishment in the procurement of manuscripts and textbooks/learning materials …due to delay in procurement activities… thus had deprived its learners and teachers of adequate and quality learning materials in public schools nationwide,” the audit team said.
DepEd had P960.58 million for textbooks and IMs under current appropriations and P217.08 million from continuing appropriations or a total of P1.178 billion in available funds.
Out of this, it incurred obligations of only P93.03 million or just eight percent while actual disbursements only amounted to P4.19 million or 0.36 percent.
The DepEd management explained that because of the volume of activity sheets (AS) acquired in 2019 and 2020, money intended for 4.3 million copies of Kindergarten AS and Grade 1 English AS was instead reprogrammed for the purchase of Special Education (SPED) materials.
It said that as of December 2021, procurement of Lots 1 and 2 of format production materials have been completed and are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2022 although bidding for Lots 3, 4, and 5 has not yet pushed through.
It added that printing and delivery of various textbooks and other IMs were put off due to the need to provide printed self-learning modules for the Edukasyon Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE), as well as for senior high school.
The Commission on Audit recommended that the DepEd maximize utilization of available resources to implement the textbook and instructional materials program.
However, the DepEd said the Bureaus of Curriculum Development, Learning Delivery, and Learning Resources have passed a joint memorandum to defer the procurement of manuscripts to give way to the on-going review of the existing curriculum as part of the implementation of RA 11475 or the Good Manners and Right Conduct and Values Education Law.
