DepEd posts 289% jump in textbook procurement, ending decades-long slowdown

The Department of Education (DepEd) reported a sharp rise in the procurement of textbooks successfully procured this year — exceeding the total number completed in the last ten years.

Citing data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), DepEd said only 27 textbook titles were successfully procured between 2012 and 2023, with only Grades 5 and 6 receiving complete sets during that period.

In contrast, the department has approved and procured 105 titles in 2025 alone, marking a 289% increase following a series of reforms introduced under Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

The turnaround comes ahead of a major scale-up in 2026, after Congress approved P29.16 billion in the national budget for 103.9 million learning resources, the largest increase in recent years.

The allocation expands on this year’s 97 million materials and is intended to address chronic shortages, support teachers, and align instructional materials with the revised curriculum.

“Hindi pwedeng kulang-kulang ang hawak ng mga guro at bata. Kung gusto nating umangat ang kalidad ng pag-aaral, dapat kompleto, tama, at napapanahon ang materyales na dumarating sa mga paaralan,” Angara said.

(Teachers and students cannot work with incomplete materials. If we want to improve learning quality, schools must receive complete, accurate, and up-to-date resources.)

To reinforce these gains, DepEd is implementing Republic Act 12009, the New Government Procurement Act, which Angara authored during his Senate tenure.

The law seeks to eliminate longstanding procurement failures and provide a streamlined legal framework for the timely delivery of learning resources.

DepEd has also shifted to a new internal process through DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2025, which requires the pre-selection and evaluation of textbook titles before the bidding stage.

Previously, content review happened during post-qualification — a system officials say contributed to years of delays and failed procurements.

Under the revised process, only titles that pass quality checks proceed to bidding, allowing for faster and more predictable distribution starting 2026.

“Mula kay Pangulong Marcos at sa ating mga mambabatas, malinaw ang suporta na hindi dapat tipirin ang aklat at kagamitan kung ang nakataya ay ang kinabukasan ng kabataan,” Angara said.

(The President and our lawmakers have made it clear that books and learning tools should never be shortchanged when the future of our children is at stake.)

For FY 2026, DepEd is scheduled to conduct Quality Assurance for at least 176 textbook and teacher’s manual titles, 360 learning resource exemplars, 2,000 self-learning resource titles, and 1,000 additional titles needed to complete the revised curriculum rollout across grade levels.

The department also confirmed that, for the first time, it has procured educational toys for Kindergarten learners as part of its shift toward play-based and developmentally appropriate early education.

“Ayaw na nating maulit ang sitwasyon kung saan huli dumarating ang libro o kulang ang kagamitan. Nauuna ang paghahanda para mauna rin ang pagkatuto,” Angara said.

(We do not want a repeat of delayed or incomplete deliveries. Preparation must come first so learning can follow.) — BAP, GMA Integrated News