THE Department of Education (DepEd) in Baguio City said more than P200 million will be needed for printing of learning materials for close to 60,000 students in the city.

Schools superintendent Marie Carolyn Verano faced the City Council on Monday, August 17, and reported the budget deficit.

Verano said a recent survey showed 100 percent of respondents choose to have printed modules to learn in the new normal despite having internet connections, making the need to reproduce modules for the over 60,000 enrolled in publics schools, on top of priorities.

Veranno was present in the City Council session this week to enlighten the legislative body on state of education system in the city.

DepEd-Baguio has so far received only P43 million funding from central office to cover the need for reproduction of modules with costs P250 million.

Verano said the amount is just 18 percent of what the department needs to carry out reproduction needs for those who chose to enroll.

The costs are projected only until December 2020 and needs replenishment in January 2021.

The DepEd official said each page of the modules is projected to cost 50 centavos for 16 pages to complete one module good for a week with eight subjects for each learner.

Verano is also calling for donation of gadgets for learners in the public schools in a bid to augment needs of learners in the new normal way of teaching.

Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, meanwhile, asked DepEd to submit a proposal for the amendment of the DepEd appropriation in the city budget and the Special Education fund.

"I likewise proposed that the city will solicit donations for gadgets to be distributed. But we have to clarify with COA what requirements have to be complied with for government to solicit," Tabanda added.

At present, the department has over 2,000 teachers ready to work come October when classes open, with 200 volunteer teachers pitching in for free to augment resources of the school system.

DepEd is asking the City Council for possible realignment of P39 million from the city budget for education for the needs of learners.

Under the DepEd reconfigured Brigada Eskwela (BE) and Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) program, the department will now focus on its Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan, DepEd Commons, and OBE-BE Framework and Action Plan, respectively.

Technical modalities will be used by the education department in the city until such time that a face-to-face system of learning will be allowed by the department.