House Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas slammed the Department of Education’s (DepEd) alarming failure to deliver P9.17 billion worth of nearly 20,000 laptops, essential for effective e-learning in public schools.
The lawmaker said that the DepEd’s incompetence “exacerbated the struggles of educators already burdened with inadequate salaries and insufficient resources.”
“Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang incompetence na ipinamalas ni Vice President Sara Duterte sa kanyang panunungkulan bilang DepEd secretary. Patunay talaga na hindi siya isang kaibigan sa mga guro at estudyante,” Rep. Brosas declared.
The recent budget hearing revealed that 12,022 laptops for teaching personnel and 7,558 for non-teaching staff remain undelivered. This shortfall persists despite the urgent need to improve the dire student-to-computer ratio of 1:9 and the even more staggering teacher-to-computer ratio of 1:30, making it nearly impossible to effectively implement e-learning systems that are vital for student learning.
The delay occurred within the period covered by Vice President Sara Duterte’s administration, notwithstanding the allocated P11.36 billion budget for computers and e-learning equipment, of which only P2.075 billion has been disbursed, according to the Commission on Audit’s 2023 report.
“Our education system is in crisis, with the Philippines ranking near the bottom in global assessments for reading, science, and mathematics,” Rep. Brosas emphasized. “The failure to equip our educators with the necessary tools is a significant factor contributing to this dismal performance.”
Gabriela Women’s Party urged Congress to probe the DepEd’s bidding and procurement processes to ensure accountability and rectify inefficiencies that leave educators and students in dire need. #
