HUNDREDS of elementary science textbooks were found rotting after being eaten by termites at the Department of Education (DepEd) main office in Pasig City Monday afternoon.

DepEd officials, including Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, are busy preparing for the National Educators Congress to be held at the Teacher's Camp in Baguio City Tuesday when the said textbooks were discovered.

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The books were entitled "Science and Health" and intended for students from Grades 1 to 4.

There were also Chemistry books, but all of them were scattered on the floor of the DepEd building in front of the parking lot of the agency.

Sought for reaction, Lapus who himself was surprised about it, said he has ordered an investigation on the matter.

He said it is the policy of the department to immediately disburse all textbooks the use of the students. "I have ordered Instructional Materials Council Secretariat Executive Director Socorro Pilor to investigate the matter."

Reporters, meanwhile, tried but failed to elicit any reaction or explanation from Pilor.

The textbooks should have been distributed, even before the school opening, with the order of Lapus to expedite the delivery of the textbooks.

Every school year, lack of textbooks is among the problems faced by the education department.

Last October, the Commission on Audit (COA) disclosed findings of an investigation it conducted showing that DepED wasted millions in its 2007 budget either through non-utilization, misallocation or purchase of inferior equipment.

The COA said that while the number of undistributed textbooks decreased from 2006 to 2007, a total of 1,275,056 copies of unused textbooks or manuals costing at least P57.3 million remained stored in school stockrooms or libraries in 2007.

Aside from this, it found out that DepEd wasted millions of pesos of its 2007 budget including some P667.95 millions of purchased multi-media equipment packages that were either utilized or maximized for classroom instructions in 13 regions because they were either defective or distributed to schools which were not strictly selected in accordance with the approved criteria.

The COA also reported that acute classroom shortages in 2,929 schools were not addressed because school building projects worth at least P597.796 million were spent instead on 1,329 school sites that had the least need for buildings and classrooms.

Likewise, 84,254 sets of tables and chairs and 150,748 armchairs costing P197 million were allocated to 2,777 elementary and 899 secondary schools that already had adequate seat provisions from 2004-2007 instead of giving them to 2,764 elementary and secondary schools with acute seat shortages. (AH/Sunnex)

For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio.

(December 2, 2008 issue)
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