Requested school items ‘impractical’: Garcia rejects DepEd appeal

CEBU, Philippines — Requests for the Capitol to provide molding clays, glues, construction papers, cartolinas, poster paints, and ukuleles, among others, to schools in the province were met with outright rejection from Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who instead lectured them to require only what’s practical.

Garcia was appalled to see multiple requests for school supplies for kindergarten students during a Provincial School Board meeting on February 4.

She pointed out what she said were impractical requirements set by Department of Education, saying they are not only a waste of money from the province but also from the parents of the learners.

Instead, she said efforts should be geared towards improving academic standing.

the of instructional materials, books and reading kits; and school supplies at P17 million,” the report read.

Sugbo News, the official news site of the Cebu Provincial Public Information Office (PIO), reported the particular appropriation requested by DepEd.

“Part of the proposed programs of the education department is the purchase of 490 ukulele (with Mahogany casing and name engraving) amounting P735,000; classroom furniture such as tables and chairs worth P17.4 million for kindergarten pupils; P5 million worth of instructional materials, books and reading kits; and school supplies at P17 million,” the report read.

The list does not include requests for modern classrooms that come with interactive board displays, laptop for teachers, tablets, robotics kits, dental vans and miscellaneous school supplies.

“Kinsa may magbag-o? Kinsa may mamalit ana? Kinsay may makagasto? Ang mga ginikanan. (Who will pay for the change? Who will buy these stuffs? Who will spend for them? The parents.) That's an added burden to parents,” the governor commented in a press conference the day after the meeting, February 5.

“Public schools intawon ni, oy. Kadaghanan ana pobre kaayo ni atong mga estudyante (These are public schools. Most of these students are poor),” she added.

Education officials present during the meeting simply replied: “Noted, Gov” and “Thank you, Gov.”

During the meeting, some projects like the dental van were proposed for pilot implementation in the municipalities of Liloan and Barili where Garcia’s daughter, Christina Frasco, and brother, Marlon Garcia, are the local chief executives.

“I felt insulted really. That's a warning to them. Ayaw ko insultuha ninyo. I'm not in this position to give favor to my relatives,” Garcia said.

In the meeting, Garcia made it clear that the administration aims to “redirect” the priorities back to academics.

With this, she said “misplaced priorities” must be discarded and the school board must focus on instructional materials and textbooks.

Garcia said the Capitol is willing to purchase textbooks but under one condition.

“We are willing to spend on textbooks and instructional materials as long as they will be in English. Gikan sa kindergarten hangtod na sa senior high school,” she said.

In a meeting last December 13, the PSB passed a resolution reinstituting English as the basic medium of instruction.

This, Garcia reminded, is to equip Cebuano students to be globally competitive.

“If we want to be fully competitive, di man ta ka insister nga mag-Binisaya ta didto on the world stage,” she said. JMD (FREEMAN)