Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – Isla Pugad is nearly an hour’s boat ride from downtown Hagonoy in Bulacan. Across the river the only educational institution in the island is Pugad Elementary School.
The fourth grade classroom won’t be used this school year because officials fear it could be submerged anytime.
Fourth grade teacher Angela Agustin’s class will meet instead in the library. But her greater worry: There are no books for her students.
“We have to learn on our own,” she says.
She would have to find other resources.
First grade teacher Josefina Lunes has the same problem. The last time she was given books was in 2011.
When she attended a seminar, she was told that the books were ready.
She wonders why the first graders were not given an ample supply,
Because of the K-to-12 curriculum, the Department of Education (DepEd) has to procure new books. But as of June, CNN Philippines estimates at least 15 million books for grades four and 10 have yet to reach the students.
DepEd records show that as of June 9, 2015, none of the 220 DepEd districts have received fourth grade books for English, Araling Panlipunan, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakalap, and Edukasyon Pangtahanan at Pangkabuhayan.
That’s more than 10 million books supposedly for use by 2.4 million fourth grade public school pupils. Not even a tenth of the 220 districts have received fourth grade books for Science, Math, and Filipino.
For 10th grade, there have been no deliveries of books for English, Araling Panlipunan, Filipino, and Physical Education. That’s up to 5.5 million books that should have reached 1.3 million 10th grade students in public schools.
“I would not call it shortage. It’s just a delay in the delivery,” says DepEd Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo.
So what caused the delay?
The department posted an invitation to bid early this year for the printing of 41 million new textbooks worth P1.2 billion
DepEd says the lowest bidder didn’t pass the rule that a supplier must have completed a recent project worth at least half of the P1.2 billion deal, leading to another round of bidding.
The project has been awarded. But DepEd refused to identify the suppliers in the deal.
Mateo says he could not divulge the names.
Under the procurement law, all notices of award must be posted on websites of both the procurement board and the procuring agency.
But the DepEd page shows no record at all.
Those pushing for the suspension of the K-to-12 program say these delays will lead to more backlogs once the program fully rolls out in 2016.
The implementation would be haphazard and hurried, according to David San Juan, co-convenor of the Suspend K-12 Alliance. That’s because of the delayed arrivals of the materials.
DepEd says all book should be delivered before the end of June 2015.
At Pugad Elementary School, a nesting place for young minds, some teachers have to make the most of what they have, with limited or no learning materials at all.
