Department of Education - GWatch Textbook Count
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NAMFREL’s partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure transparency and enhance access to education services started with its participation in the National Textbook Delivery Program: “Textbook Count” in 2003 when DepEd through Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz sought the support of NAMFREL through its extensive network of volunteers at the local level. Over 37 million copies of textbooks amounting to P1.3 billion pesos have been monitored from pre-bidding, printing, to delivery both at the district and the school level nationwide.

 

Year 

Phases of Project Participation

Activity
2003 Textbook Count 1 NAMFREL took the lead in mobilizing of field volunteers in 5,623 delivery sites across the country. Out of 103 NAMFREL chapters nationwide, 61 actively participated.
2004 Textbook Count 2 G-Watch tapped the assistance of the BSP/GSP in the recruitment of volunteers in 7,651 delivery sites thinking that NAMFREL could not take part in mobilizing of volunteers since the chapters engaged in the national and local election. However, the participation of chapters in the 2004 May elections did not hamper NAMFREL’s participation in the Textbook Count 2, where 60 chapters helped mobilize and deploy local volunteers.
2005 Textbook Count 3 52 NAMFREL local chapters helped in the recruitment and deployment of volunteers in 4,844 delivery points identified both in District and High Schools levels.
2006 Textbook Count 4 NAMFREL and the BSP/GSP helped mobilize volunteers in 2,344 delivery sites. 40 NAMFREL chapters participated in the monitoring during the third phase of the project.
2007 Textbook Count 5 39 NAMFREL chapters mobilized and deployed volunteers at the ground level.
 
Under the Textbook Count, NAMFREL actively participated in two major activities of the program, namely:
   
Production monitoring
 

Observer volunteers joined as members of the quality control inspection teams in warehouses to ensure that textbooks procured comply with contract specification,
  While observing, volunteers recommended the rejection of books that did not pass quality standards.
   
Delivery monitoring
 

Volunteers assisted in the counting and inspection of books as field monitors, making sure that the right quantity and quality of textbooks were delivered on time,
 

recorded notable incidents and observations in the Inspection and Acceptance Report (IAR), which were submitted to the DepEd,
 

If no discrepancies were noted, observers signed the IAR’s together with the division heads and property custodian both in high schools and district schools.
(IAR containing the signature of the CSO reps was a requirement & a control measure in the processing of documents, which in turn helped the supplier collect payments in a shorter period of time)
     
In 2007, NAMFREL local chapters particularly in Bindoy, Negros Oriental joined in the pilot test implementation of Textbook Walk, bringing the textbooks from district down to elementary school level.

In the same year, NAMFREL joined in the printer warehouse inspection in Singapore as member of the DepEd quality inspection team to ensure the quality of the textbooks contracted to an international supplier.

In 2008, NAMFREL helped DepEd in implementing the Textbook Walk as resource person during the “Briefing Orientation Workshop” in the DepEd divisions identified as priority in the Social Reform Agenda due to poor performance in the National Achievement Test (NAT).

In 2010, NAMFREL started deploying observers to the DepEd Central Office BAC to cover procurement of textbooks and non-textbook related items such as infrastructure, seats & desks, personal services, catering and sporting equipment. Simultaneously, NAMFREL chapters were tapped to participate in consultations to help craft the 2012 DepEd budget.