Gatchalian wants textbooks for all public school learners; seeks streamlined procurement

To help improve the performance of the country's public school learners, Senator Win Gatchalian said the government should ensure that every learner has a complete set of textbooks.

In its Year One Report, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) revealed that since 2012, only 27 textbooks titles out of 90 were procured for Grade 1 to Grade 10. The report also found that only learners from Grades 5 and 6 have complete sets of textbooks for all subjects. The EDCOM also revealed low utilization of the budget for textbooks and other instructional materials. Out of more than P12.6 billion allocated from 2018 to 2022, only about P4.47 billion (35.3%) was obligated and P951.9 million (7.5%) was disbursed.

Issues hounding textbook procurement included insufficient development time, high participation costs, prolonged review processes, and pricing issues, according to Gatchalian. While textbook procurement should only take 180 days, the process takes an average of three years.

To ensure a 1:1 student-textbook ratio, Gatchalian's office estimates that around P28 billion, around 4% of the Department of Education's more than P700 billion allocation, is needed.

"We must solve the process. I'm very optimistic, I can lobby to allocate P28 billion a year to procure textbooks but even though we allocate P28 billion a year, if it will take you three years to spend it, sayang lang," said the Senate Committee on Basic Education Chairman.

"My suggestion is to liberalize the procurement of textbooks so that we will not be burdened by logistics and the bidding process because that takes time, and this is connected to learner performance. If only our Grade 5 and 6 learners have complete textbooks, we cannot expect so much from our learners to perform well because the basic learning material is non-existent," he added.

Gatchalian also cited the example of Japan's Textbook Authorization Research Council, which accredits textbook titles and ensures compliance with standards. The list of accredited titles guides Japan's schools and students when it comes to securing textbooks. Gatchalian urged the DepEd to study Japan's model as it would spare the agency from procurement, manuscript development, and delivery bottlenecks.

Gatchalian added that he will seek amendments to the Book Publishing Industry Development Act (Republic Act No. 8047) to streamline the textbook procurement process.

Libro para sa lahat ng mga mag-aaral isinusulong ni Gatchalian

Upang maiangat ang performance ng mga mag-aaral sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa bansa, dapat tiyakin ng pamahalaan na kumpleto ang mga textbook nila, sabi ni Senador Win Gatchalian.

Ayon sa Year One Report ng Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), lumalabas na 27 lamang sa 90 titles ang nabili para sa Grade 1 hanggang Grade 10 simula 2012. Lumabas din sa ulat na mga mag-aaral lamang sa Grade 5 at Grade 6 ang may kumpletong mga textbook sa lahat ng mga subject. Hindi rin nagamit nang husto ang mga inilaang pondo para sa mga textbook at iba pang instructional materials. Sa P12.6 bilyong inilaan mula 2018 hanggang 2022, P4.47 bilyon (35.3%) lamang ang obligated, samantalang P951.9 milyon (7.5%) lamang ang na-disburse.

Ilan sa mga hamong kinakaharap ng textbook procurement ay ang kakulangan ng oras para sa paglikha, mataas na participation costs, mahabang proseso ng pagsusuri, at mga isyu sa presyo, ayon kay Gatchalian. Dagdag niya, umaabot ng humigit-kumulang tatlong taon ang proseso ng pagbili ng mga textbook na dapat sana'y 180 araw lamang.

Upang matiyak na may textbook ang bawat mag-aaral, tinataya ng tanggapan ni Gatchalian na humigit-kumulang P28 bilyon ang kakailanganin, katumbas ng 4% ng mahigit P700 bilyong pondo ng Department of Education (DepEd).

"Kailangang ayusin natin ang proseso. Kaya kong isulong ang paglalaan ng P28 bilyon kada taon para sa pagbili ng mga textbook, pero sayang lang kung maglalaan tayo ng P28 bilyon kung aabutin lang naman ng tatlong taon bago magamit ang mga ito," ani Gatchalian, Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Basic Education.

"Ang mungkahi ko ay i-liberalize natin ang pagbili ng textbooks upang hindi tayo nagkakaroon ng problema sa logistics at sa proseso ng bidding, lalo na't inaabot ito ng matagal na panahon at nakaka-apekto ito sa performance ng ating mga mag-aaral. Kung ang mga mag-aaral sa Grade 5 at 6 lamang ang may kumpletong mga textbook, hindi natin maaaring asahan na magiging mahusay ang ating mga mag-aaral dahil wala silang gamit sa pag-aaral," dagdag na pahayag ng senador.

Ibinahagi din ni Gatchalian ang halimbawa ng Textbook Authorization Research Council ng Japan na may mandatong mag-accredit ng mga textbook title at tiyaking sumusunod sa mga pamantayan ang mga ginagamit na aklat. Ibinabahagi sa mga paaralan at mag-aaral ang listahan ng mga accredited na title upang magabayan ang pamimili nila ng mga aklat. Hinimok ni Gatchalian ang DepEd na pag-aralan ang modelo ng Japan.

Idinagdag pa ni Gatchalian na isusulong niyang ma-amyendahan ang Book Publishing Industry Development Act (Republic Act No. 8047) upang mapabilis ang proseso ng pagbili ng mga textbook.