Classrooms, chairs didn’t reach poor schools -- COA
By Jocelyn Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:42:00 06/10/2008
MANILA, Philippines—It’s not just a case of mistaken priorities, but also of miscommunication.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has reported that because of the inept allocation of resources, funds that were meant for public schools in the country’s most depressed areas instead went to those that had the least need for classrooms, tables and chairs.
In its latest audit report on the Department of Education (DepEd), the COA disclosed that “acute classroom shortages” in 2,929 schools were not addressed last year. Instead, it said that construction projects worth P597.796 million were implemented at 1,329 school sites that did not need them.
The 2,929 schools had been identified as being first priority under the government’s regular school building program approved by the school division superintendents and district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2004 to 2007.
The 1,329 schools that instead benefited from the program had been classified under the second, third, and fourth categories in the 2004-07 priority listings, noted the 2007 COA report.
The DepEd yearly allocates funds for the construction of classrooms in schools that badly need them in accordance with the Roxas Law (Republic Act No. 7880), which provides for the fair and equitable allocation of the agency’s budget for capital outlay.
“The classroom shortage of the respective regions could have been reduced had the total amount of P597.796 million been utilized for projects under the red and black color spectrum,” said the COA, referring to the depressed schools.
But school division officials of Central Luzon (Region 3), Bicol (Region 5) and Southern Mindanao (Region 11) blamed the “inaccurate, unreliable and incomplete” data on instructional room analysis in the basic education information system for the implementation of the program in the least priority schools.
Non-concurrence of concerned congressmen with the priority listings and the intervention of local government officials in the construction projects without due consultation with division offices were also among the reasons the school officials cited.
No monitoring
The report also highlighted the failure of the DepEd and DPWH officials to “strictly comply” with the coordination and monitoring guidelines for the construction projects.
In at least eight regions, including Metro Manila, 111 construction projects amounting to P44.135 million were found to be either unfinished, unutilized or abandoned.
“The inability of the DepEd to coordinate with local government units or non-government organizations and to monitor project progress have led to the construction of school buildings in non-priority sites and inaction on abandoned projects,” the COA said.
It further noted that P197 million worth of armchairs and tables were distributed to 2,777 elementary and 899 secondary schools that have adequate provisions in the last four years.
The misallocation failed to address the severe chair shortages in 2,764 public schools nationwide, said the COA, as it noted an excess of P6.6 million worth of school furniture in public schools in 11 cities in the capital.
The surplus deliveries were found at Batasan Hills Elementary School in Quezon City, in the school divisions of Pasay, Taguig, Valenzuela, Caloocan, Pasig, San Juan, Makati, Muntinlupa, Manila and Marikina cities.
Some P33.8 million worth of school tables, chairs and armchairs distributed to public schools across the country were found to be “defective and inferior.”
Common defects
In an inspection, the COA found the following common “defects” in the school furniture distributed to at least five regions:
• Timber surfaces of writing boards had splits, indentations and cavities.
• Writing boards were weak and unstable.
• Joints were not fully welded; bolts and nuts had no washers.
• Edges and corners of tables and chairs were not smooth and rounded, which may cause snagging, damage or injury.
• New tables and chairs were already infested with weevils and wood borers.
• Wood screws were substituted with finishing nails.
• Tables and chairs were too heavy for pupils to easily move.
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