COA uncovers govt computers, textbooks in wrong place, wrong hands
Government auditors uncovered some P115.7 million worth of computer sets bought for public school students of Western Visayas yet ended up being used by school principals. And as an added 'bonus,' government textbooks valued over P25.2 million also meant for public school students of the region were not individually-issued to the students themselves but mostly left stored in school stockrooms.
A significant part of the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) in the records of the Department of Education (DepEd), there is also over P58 million in unliquidated cash advances granted as financial assistance to various private organizations. Incidentally, The News Today (TNT) learned that an Ilonggo Cabinet secretary's foundation was among those in the list with some P8 million in government assistance now needing of explanation. (See related story)
A huge case of government resources in the wrong place and with the wrong hands, COA wants immediate action and resolution from top DepEd officials. Such alongside specific recommendations addressed to Ilonggo executives at the helm of DepEd Regional Office 6.
The COA, TNT gathered, confirmed the existence and use of the computer sets and packages under the department's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) project.
"Our ocular inspection confirmed that out of the 349 computers issued to the beneficiary schools, 280 units were found in the offices of the principals or district supervisors and were being used in the preparation of reports, correspondence and financial statement while 13 units were defective," excerpts of the COA report obtained by TNT went.
The defective computers were all delivered by DepEd central office to the Division of Iloilo with total cost of P5.2 million. While 22 out of the 26 other units for Iloilo students' use were discovered to have been placed in principals' offices here.
DepEd Division of Bacolod City had the most number of computers at 81 units with total cost of P32.4 million. 47 units were not properly utilized and were discovered by COA to have been placed in principals' offices in various Bacolod City public schools.
The same scenario in DepEd Division of Antique with 46 units delivered with total cost of P18.4 million. The COA team as per verification discovered that all 46 units were not issued to the schools for the students' use but were instead installed in principals' offices here as well.
DepEd Division of Guimaras scored a total zero as well in terms of students' use of the computers with all 44 units valued over P10.2 million again placed in the principals' offices. DepEd Guimaras was joined in the findings by DepEd Division of Negros Occidental where all 41 units were also not installed for students' use but the school principals concerned.
A repeat of the findings in DepEd Division of Capiz where 37 of the 51 units were improperly used, 23 units in DepEd Division of Roxas City out of the 27 delivered, and 20 out of 20 in DepEd Division of San Carlos City.
"Others find it convenient to use the computer sets intended for classroom instructions because they were unable to acquire computers for their particular use," the COA team further noted. "Also, the DepEd RO VI delivered sets of interactive CDs costing P1,782,600.00 to the different national high schools which were not accompanied with computer units hence could not be utilized for instructional purposes. The delivery was contrary to the DepEd Memo No. 188 s. 2003 which requires that computer package under the program should be composed of hardware and software, teacher training and courseware."
Without teacher training, COA said, computer hardware will be useless while all software with no computers were equally useless as well.
"Every computer not used for classroom purposes for whatever reasons, constitutes a set back to DepEd's goal to deliver quality education that is accessible to all through the use of appropriate information and communications technology as mandated under Sec. 1 of DepEd Memo No. 188 s. 2003," the COA said.
Meantime. COA inspection of DepEd textbooks for Western Visayas showed a total of 246,357 copies not distributed to the students.
The copies valued at over P25.2 million formed part of the P186.9 million of textbooks nationwide found to have been undistributed to public school students.