Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago yesterday pressed for a formal inquiry, in aid of legislation, on reports that the Department of Education (DepEd) wasted government funds when it purchased P608.7 million worth of textbooks that have reportedly become obsolete because of the K to 12 program.
The 16,296,231 textbooks bought by the DepEd for the school year 2011-2012 textbook replenishment project under the old curriculum have become obsolete because of the K to 12 program, Santiago pointed out.
MERE ‘REFERENCE MATERIALS’
Santiago cited reports that the Commission on Audit (COA) reportedly stated that the delivered textbooks would eventually be regarded only as reference materials, because these are no longer responsive to the enhanced K to 12 program.
The COA claimed that the textbooks were delivered only in school year 2012-2013 or at the onset of the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum.
The deliveries reportedly covered mostly the textbook requirements of the grade levels covered by the first and second year implementation of the K to 12 program.
The COA maintained that DepEd’s lapses in planning and lack of foresight deprived the students their access to quality education considering that it was already preparing the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum as early as 2010.
It explained that the procurement and delayed delivery or distribution of textbooks resulting in unnecessary expenses brought indiscriminate wastage of government funds that would have been used in reference with the effort of DepEd to ensure adequacy of the much-needed learning resources in the implementation of the new learning system.
The DepEd had told the COA that the textbooks in question were not obsolete since these were still responsive to many learning competencies under the K to 12 curriculum.
Santiago emphasized that resources of the K to 12 program should ensure a quality education for all.
Manila Bulletin
