DepEd's 'slow' procurement process 'deprived' schools of learning materials in 2019--CoA

THE "slow-paced" procurement and deliveries of textbooks and learners' materials "had deprived" students and teachers in public schools "of the benefit that could have been derived from these learning resources", the Commission on Audit (CoA) said in its Consolidated Annual Audit Report on the Department of Education (DepEd) for 2019.

CoA said the utilization of the budget allotted for the Textbooks and Other Instructional Materials Program was "very low based on the Status of Appropriations, Allotments, Disbursements and Balances" as of year-end 2019 "with only 26.61 percent utilization rate per obligation and 4.19 percent per disbursement".