COTABATO CITY – Although the Department of Education (DepEd) has no legal supervisory and administrative control over public elementary and secondary schools in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus was generous enough to share close to P45 million from the 2009 P1 billion DepEd School Furniture Procurement Program for the purchase of needed school furniture for the ARRM during school year 2009-2010.

Muslim Mindanao Education Director Udtog Kawit said Lapus’ fund assistance to ARMM is indicated in Department Order No. 43, series of 2009, which appropriated P44,789,000 for the immediate procurement of necessary school furniture for the region’s provincial and city schools divisions.

Kawit said Lapus’ fund allocation would help ease the acute shortage of school furniture and ultimately improve the effective and efficient delivery of quality basic education in Muslim Mindanao.

Lapus’ directive identified the school furniture to be purchased as elementary school tables and chairs, secondary school armchairs, teachers’ tables and chairs, Science laboratory tables and stools, industrial arts work benches and library tables and chairs.

According to Kawit, the provincial schools division of Maguindanao was allocated the biggest school furniture budget with P12,302,175 followed by Lanao del Sur I and Lanao del Sur II with P7,969,072 and P5,844,848, respectively.

The other ARMM schools divisions and their respective school furniture allocations, Kawit said, are Sulu I – P5,183,365; Tawi-Tawi – P4,962,687; Basilan – P3,953,619, and Marawi City with P2,717,915.

Kawit said Lapus further mandated that the school furniture, to be procured from DepEd-authorized manufactures in the region, should be distributed to various elementary and secondary schools on a door-to-door basis.