Thursday, October 02, 2008 P6.7M worth of books unused in the region By Elizabeth P. Baumgart Sun.Star Correspondent
WHILE public school students end up sharing textbooks due to the lack of books, a total of P6.7 million worth of books have been left unused in Central Visayas last year, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).
State auditors, in its annual audit report on the 2007 transactions of the Department of Education (DepEd), found that a total of 1,275,056 textbooks worth P57.3 million were left unused nationwide.
In Region 7 alone, a total of 114,965 textbooks worth P6,704,748.55 did not reach the hands of public school students.
“Interviews and verifications conducted revealed that most school principals did not comply with the Textbook Exchange Program and other cited issuances. Thus, inspection conducted showed unused and undistributed textbooks/manuals totaling to 1,275,056 with a total cost of P57,341,280.55 were still stored in libraries and storerooms in division offices, high school and elementary schools,” state auditors said.
However, COA pointed out that the amount of P57.3 million was significantly lower than the audit report in 2006, wherein a total of 2.5 million undistributed textbooks worth P186.9 million were discovered.
The Textbook Exchange Program aims to eradicate the multiple textbook situation in schools so that students can use the same textbook titles in the classrooms;
remove unused and surplus books in schools in district and division warehouses.
Through the program, schools are allowed to trade textbooks with other schools, within a division and with other divisions.
In Central Visayas, state auditors attributed the high number of textbooks in the region to excess deliveries and to the decrease in number of enrollees in the grade levels.
COA further noted that the textbooks were used as references and that most books were becoming obsolete and that the science textbooks allocated for grade one and two classes were no longer of use.
State auditors further noted that nationwide, school principals lacked awareness of the textbooks exchange program.
Acting Department of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Recaredo Borgonia Sr. admitted that most of the textbooks in Central Visayas that are being stored were already becoming obsolete.
“Most of the textbooks that are being stored right now are due for condemnation,” he said.
The books that will be ‘condemned’ will be burned, said Borgonia. However, they would still have to wait for the go-signal in order to properly dispose of the books.
“We cannot just start burning the books without the proper authorities around,” he said.
COA further noted that in Central Visayas, there were some teachers who refused to take in the books.
“There were some teachers that were apprehensive in taking the books. It was because of accountability. They were worried of the books that might get lost,” Borgonia
admitted.
However, Borgonia said that they have already talked to the teachers and clarified that teachers would not be held accountable for the loss of textbooks should the loss be “beyond their control.”
Meanwhile, COA has recommended that the DepEd Central Office should see to the proper dissemination of DepEd orders and to the updating of monitoring procedures of the textbooks exchange program.
COA also recommended the use of the Internet as a channel for reporting excess and shortages of textbooks to facilitate fluid exchange of books.
Likewise, the DepEd should also allocate funds for the transportation of textbooks. (EPB)
