Manila – The Department of Education (DepEd) is exploring a significant shift in its textbook procurement strategy by moving from creating its own textbooks to adopting a pre-selection model similar to that used in private schools, according to DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.
According to Philippines News Agency, during the Senate deliberations on DepEd’s proposed 2025 budget, Secretary Angara explained that the new system would involve providing students with a list of pre-selected book titles available for purchase at bookstores. This approach is intended to streamline the procurement process and support the local publishing industry. “I think it will make things easier — to select from the available titles in the market, and it will also help perhaps our local publishers and the local publishing industry as well if we tell them in advance that we will be purchasing from your titles rather than having that cumbersome process of developing your own manuscript, among others,” Angara said.
The plan is still under review for its legal feasibility with consultations planned with the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). “We have to get an opinion from the DBM, the GPPB, as to whether we could pre-select legally the titles and then bid them out. It’s like, we already know what to procure, what title,” Angara noted, indicating that this would be a first for DepEd if implemented.
Currently, DepEd faces challenges in delivering textbooks on time due to the lengthy process involved in developing and printing its own educational materials. Often, book deliveries continue until the end of the year, impacting the timely distribution to learners.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian supported the initiative, recalling that it was among the recommendations from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II). “That was one of our recommendations, one of the ideas that was floated that in private schools, even in basic education they give you a list and you go to a bookstore and you buy your books. So, the private schools they don’t print their own books or make their own books,” Gatchalian stated.
Senator Pia Cayetano, who presided over the budget deliberation, also endorsed the idea, pointing out that students in private schools, where such a system is already in place, consistently perform better than those in public schools. She questioned the historical approach of DepEd creating its own textbooks when pre-selected titles used in private schools have proven effective.
During discussions with publishers, it was revealed that while private schools budget at least PHP600 per book, DepEd’s budget stands at about PHP120 per book. However, with economies of scale, Cayetano suggested that the cost per book could potentially be reduced to the DepEd’s budget level, given the volume of procurement for approximately 25 million public basic education learners nationwide.
The DepEd’s budget proposal for the coming year totals PHP793.2 billion, marking a 2.8 percent increase from this year’s PHP762.1 billion.