DepEd to ensure books are distributed nationwide

"Kahit saan, kahit papaano, delivery ng textbook nakasisiguro."This is the battle cry of the Department of Education, together with various organizations and civil society groups as they embark on ensuring the delivery of about 1.3 million textbooks and lesson guides to more than 8,401 public elementary schools and 4,394 public high schools nationwide from August to October of this year.

Now on its third year, the National Textbook Delivery Program, dubbed as 'Textbook Count 3' is aimed to ensure the quality production and timely delivery of the exact prescribed quantities of textbooks and lesson guides to public elementary and high schools across the nation. Since the project's inception in 2001, more than 100 million textbooks have been successfully delivered to various public schools in the country.

But this is not all that there is to the project. "Textbook Count 3 is also in line with our efforts to promote transparency and accountability in all the transactions made in the Department," said Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Juan Miguel Luz.

"We would likewise encourage our citizens to get involved to ensure that these deliveries are made intact and on-time. We will not leave anything to chance," he said.

More than thirty organizations and civil society groups would participate in the project. Among these groups are the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Transparency and Accountability Network Procurement Watch, Inc., Civil Society Network for Education Reforms and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (complete list of the consortium of NGOs attached), with the assistance of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, and the Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan Citizens Development Initiatives (KAAKBAY CDI).

This year, 'Textbook Count 3' is concentrating on the distribution of textbooks in the poorest provinces from the district level down to the schools, a task which normally is easier said than done for DepEd officials. Everyone is welcome to participate in this endeavor and for those groups and anyone who is interested to volunteer for the Textbook Count 3 project, may visit the nearest DepED office. - Jasmin R. Uy