DepEd assures EDCOM to deliver textbooks on time

MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) has committed to deliver 80 percent of textbooks for Grades 1, 4, and 7 by July this year.

The Department made this commitment during a meeting with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) held at the University of the Philippines in Taguig City on Thursday.

Representatives from DepEd noted that the award for successful bidders for textbooks will be issued by March and the Notice to Proceed by April which signals the start of printing.

“By July, we’ll have around 80 percent of textbooks [for Grades 1, 4, 7]”, assured Director Ariz Cawilan of the DepEd Bureau of Learning Resources.

During her Basic Education Report 2024, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said that alongside traditional textbooks, they will also provide e-textbooks for learners.

Duterte said they have consulted with various publishers to facilitate the provision of e-textbooks and leveraging digital technology.

"In the procurement of textbooks for the MATATAG K-10 Curriculum, we will require the winning bidder to provide us with electronic copies that learners may access anytime, anywhere," she said.

In its Year One Report, EDCOM 2 cited one of its findings that for Grade 1 to Grade 10, only 27 textbooks have been procured since 2012.

“Specifically, since the introduction of the K to 12 curriculum, only Grades 5 and 6 textbooks have been successfully procured,” the report read.

EDCOM 2 has been urging DepEd to ensure timely textbook procurement for the upcoming school year and recommended for the agency to look into the possibility of procuring books that are already available in the market rather than engaging publishers to develop new ones. (PNA)