Inihayag ng Commission on Audit (COA) na 192 na silid-aralan lang ang nagawa ng Department of Education (DepEd) noong 2023 mula sa target na 6,379. Pangako ng bagong kalihim ng kagawaran na si Sonny Angara, paghuhusayan nila ang trabaho at babaguhin ang sistema.

Batay sa annual audit report ng COA para sa DepEd noong 2023, ang 192 na silid-aralan na nagawa at natapos ay katumbas lang ng 3.01 percent ng 6,379 na target na silid-aralan na magawa noong nakaraang taon.

“A total of 4,391 classrooms are still under construction, and 550 are yet to undergo various stages of procurement,” ayon pa sa COA.

Nakasaad din sa ulat ng COA na ang Annual Procurement Plan (APP) ng DepEd patungkol sa 580,394 school furniture, gaya ng mga upuan na dapat nai-deliver noong May hanggang June 2023, ay nakompleto lang noong December 2023.

“Thus, the target of 580,394 school seats to be delivered in 2023 was not accomplished,” saad sa COA report.

Samantala, sa target na 7,550 na silid-aralan na dapat kumpunihin, 208 lang ang naisagawa.

Sa naturang bilang ng mga silid-aralan na dapat kumpunihin, 2,135 pa ang patuloy na inaayos at 5,207 ang nasa proseso pa ng procurement.

Ang halaga sa naturang items sa ilalim ng Basic Education Facilities program, umaabot ng P816 milyon.

“The high rate on obligations does not fully indicate effectiveness and efficiency since these obligations are only valid commitments based on the awarded contracts/purchase orders where goods are not yet delivered and projects are not yet started,” ayon sa COA.

“The Agency (DepEd) must take actions to address issues and concerns that hinder the implementation of projects so that optimum results and benefits on the completed projects would be realized as timely as intended,” dagdag ng COA.

Ipinaliwanag ng DepEd sa naturang COA report na ang pagkaantala sa procurement process ng school furniture ay bunga ng “revisions and approval of the technical specifications.”

Sa pagkaantala sa pagkumpuni ng mga silid-aralan, sinabi ng DepEd na nakahanda ito na magsagawa ng Early Procurement Activities (EPA) para sa programa at natapos na nila ang mga paunang aktibidad.

Ipinaliwanag din ng DepEd na inilipat sa Department of Public Works and Highways ang pamamahala ng repair and rehabilitation ng mga silid-aralan sa ilalim ng 2023 national budget law.

“When this was transferred to DPWH for implementation per GAA (General Appropriations Act or national budget law) 2023, the DPWH had to do their own revalidation and programming of the works. Thus, said transfer caused a delay in the implementation,” ayon sa DepEd.

Si Vice President Sara Duterte ang nagsilbing dating pinuno ng DepEd hanggang noong July 20, matapos nagbitiw at pinalitan ni dating Senador Sonny Angara.

Sa isang pagdinig sa Kamara de Representantes, sinabi ni Angara na tutugunan nila ang mga pagkukulang ng kagawaran matapos tanungin ni Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Adrian Amatong, kaugnay ng COA report.

“We talk about improving the learning environment, about computers and textbooks, but if there are no classrooms, what kind of environment are we providing?” sabi ni Amatong sa deliberasyon ng panukalang budget ng DepEd na P798 bilyon para sa 2025.

Tugon ni Angara, “We are committed to making extraordinary efforts to address these concerns. We see the low obligation rates and undelivered resources, and we know this cannot continue. We will change the system.” —mula sa ulat ni Llanesca T. Panti/FRJ, GMA Integrated News