Tuesday, November 13, 2007 Distribution of school items messed up By Jujemay G. Awit Sun.Star Staff Reporter
CHILDREN are known to tell the truth.
Using the children’s words, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia ordered an audit of the school supplies that were to be distributed to the different elementary schools and high schools in the entire province.
She learned from graders and high school students that some of them did not receive the allocation of notebooks and other school supplies. If they did receive some, it was not the total allocation.
Garcia went around northern towns in Cebu last week as part of her monitoring of road projects.
Feedback
Along the way, Garcia made a stop at some schools where she asked students about the school supplies the Province purchased.
“It is good to go to towns because we get feedback because I ask. ‘Did you the school supplies?’” she told reporters yesterday.
Garcia said that some of the students were even holding the notebooks from last year yet.
The project to distribute school supplies only last year for grades one to three pupils. This year, the Provincial Government included the rest of the elementary students and some high school students.
It covers 957 elementary schools and 202 high schools.
Each grade one student should have received a school bag, three writing notebooks, a pad paper, two pencils an eraser and a ruler.
Inefficiency
Grades two to six pupils, as well as high school students, were to get three writing notebooks, a pad paper, two pencils and a plastic envelope.
“Some received only one notebook rather than three, one pencil instead of two...I do not want to suspect nga dunay mga gipanghipos nga wa gyud na maabot sa mga kabataan,” said the governor.
She was also disappointed by the inefficiency of the distribution by the Department of Education (DepEd) that she plans to make use of casual employees of the Provincial Government to distribute the school supplies next time.
This also came as a surprise to Provincial Board (PB) Member Juan Bolo, chairman of the committee on education, who said that the distribution is in coordination with DepEd.
Investigation
“I also believed all schools were given. That is a matter to be investigated,” he said yesterday after the regular session of the PB.
When asked if she heard reports that the supplies may have been sold, Garcia said, “I hope I don’t get that report.”
“I’m telling everybody concerned, don’t make me suspect...That’s a warning to those who may be contemplating on setting aside some of these school supplies for their own purposes, may it be commercial or otherwise,” she also said.
The governor will task the provincial treasurer to come up with an audit team to look into the matter.
Incentive
Garcia wants a report before the end of the month and present this to DepEd Provincial Director Recaredo Borgonia for answers.
DepEd were also to distribute lunch boxes as incentives to some students, but Garcia decided that Capitol will just do it.
“Basin naay mag-sale og lunchbox,” Garcia joked.
The lunchbox is an incentive for those students who have planted 10 jackfruit seedlings.
For classrooms that had all its students plant the 10 seedlings, the classroom will get a television and a DVD player as educational aide.
If the entire student body has accomplished that, the school will get a slide projector.
Jackfruit is easy to propagate and is expected to bear fruits in three to five years. (JGA)
