Textbook Count

Led by the Ateneo School of Government’s G-Watch Project and the Department of Education (DepEd), volunteers have monitored the delivery of 1,265,218 textbooks (319,970 Math 3 and 902,446 Math 4) and teacher’s lesson guides (42,802) worth P58.02 million in 176 school divisions. Aside from delivery monitoring, volunteers also conducted 18 book inspections in three printing warehouses (Book Media, Grand C, and JTW Corp.).

Though the project has been successful in monitoring most of the deliveries, there were still reports of delayed deliveries by some suppliers. Late deliveries have been reported in the areas of Antique, Davao del Norte, Eastern Samar, Compostela, Negros Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, North Cotabato, Leyte, and Bukidnon. There have also been reports from volunteers that a supplier did not notify them of the schedule prior to a delivery.

The Book Media and Grand C’s forwarder, Red Cargo, failed to notify volunteers prior to the actual deliveries, since they were in a hurry to deliver. There were instances that the supplier’s forwarder could not be contacted. The mobile number was either unattended or out of coverage area.

A couple of reports from Ilocos and Laguna say that the textbooks delivered to the school do not match the students’ needs. DepEd has been informed about this concern and volunteers recommended that teachers be consulted on this matter immediately.

The Ateneo School of Government’s G-Watch Project has been managing the textbook delivery project to public school districts nationwide since 2003. The goal is to encourage more parents-teachers’ associations and NGOs involvement to ensure the delivery of the right quantity and quality of books.

G-Watch and DepEd signed a Commitment of Support and Cooperation Agreement on 21 September 2004 as a symbolic gesture of continuous partnership. The third round of textbook count was launched in August 2005 after coordinating with DepEd’s Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS) and obtaining pertinent information (allocation list, delivery sites and delivery schedule) concerning the project.

Participating groups include the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Namfrel, Barug! Pilipino, Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG), Naga City People’s Council, Social Watch Visayas, and Negros Center for People Empowerment and Rural Development (NCPERD). These organizations were regrouped for quality inspection training. Coca-Cola Bottling Phils., Inc. and Kaakbay also assisted in the delivery of books from district schools to elementary schools.

Despite commitments from several organizations, observers noted that there were times that civil society organizations (CSOs) lacked volunteers to do the actual monitoring and inspection of deliveries in the field. Volunteers also cited the lack of financial assistance given to the participating organizations.