DepEd moves to speed up purchase of textbooks, other learning tools

Teachers gather books donated as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) launched Tulong Guro donation drive and relief operations to assist teachers and learners in Sta. Lucia Highschool in Quezon City on September 27, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — Education Secretary Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara has moved to speed up the purchase of goods and services, including textbooks, learning tools, and infrastructure projects, for fiscal year 2025.

According to a release, Angara has signed a Department of Education memorandum mandating Early Procurement Activities (EPA) across the agency "to ensure the timely delivery of educational materials and the smooth implementation of projects."

"We are making every effort to improve our procurement process and accelerate its pace," the release quoted Angara as saying during a recent House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations hearing.

EPA allows the education department's procurement teams to begin activities early to ensure contracts for goods, infrastructure projects, and consulting services are awarded ahead of the following fiscal year, the release said, adding that the process covers all procurement stages pending budget approval.

The bidding process for the projects will begin in October 2024, with contracts expected to be awarded by January 2025.

"For FY 2025, all DepEd governance levels will engage in EPA. At the Central Office, this will focus on high-priority projects, including textbooks, e-Learning Cart packages, testing materials, and learning tools and equipment," the release said.

"Regional and Schools Division Offices (ROs and SDOs) will also conduct EPA for their respective projects, including those overseen by the Central Office such as smart-TV packages, laptops, school furniture, electrification projects, school health facilities, and the construction of last-mile school buildings," it said.

Angara in July said he wanted to hasten the procurement process of textbooks for public schools.

"I found out that it takes 2-3 years to print a book or deliver a book, because it takes a year to do the manuscript, another year to proofread it, to send it out. Then another year na iba iba pang bidding iyon," he said in a speech.