The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, January 14, said it has awarded 99.3 percent of its 2025 procurement projects, significantly accelerating the delivery of laptops, textbooks, and classrooms nationwide, in line with the Marcos administration’s push for faster, more transparent, and more efficient government spending.

In a statement, DepEd said it recorded significant procurement gains in 2025, translating billions of pesos in public funds into the faster delivery of classrooms, textbooks, digital devices, and other learning resources.

In its first full year under DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, the agency awarded 99.3 percent of its planned procurement chargeable against 2024 funds, aligning with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to accelerate government spending and make it more transparent and responsive to public needs.

The near-total awarding rate ensured that education funds were converted into tangible support for schools instead of remaining idle, the agency said.

“Nung pumasok kami sa DepEd, ang marching order mula sa Pangulo ay bawat pisong inaprubahan para sa edukasyon ay dapat maramdaman sa silid-aralan (When we entered DepEd, the marching order from the President was that every peso approved for education must be felt in the classroom),” Angara said.

“Hindi puwedeng manatili lang sa papel ang budget; kailangan itong maging aklat, kagamitan, at suporta na aktuwal na napapakinabangan ng mga mag-aaral at guro (The budget cannot remain only on paper; it must become books, materials, and support that students and teachers can actually benefit from),” he added.

DepEd credited the gains to the expanded use of Early Procurement Activities (EPA), which allowed contracts to be awarded ahead of the school year.

The department said it awarded 91 contracts as early as January 2025, with all EPA contracts completed by March. As a result, deliveries reached schools between March and August, improving access to learning materials earlier in the academic cycle.

Among the major outputs in 2025 were digital and classroom support items under the DepEd Computerization Program, including 33,540 laptops for teaching personnel, 5,302 laptops for non-teaching staff, and 30,440 smart televisions distributed nationwide.

DepEd also awarded 1,374,231 Science and Mathematics Equipment (SME) packages to public schools to strengthen hands-on learning in core subjects.

By the end of 2025, DepEd entered into contracts for 47 classrooms under the Last Mile Schools (LMS) program, shifting to a design-and-build approach to address repeated construction delays and project abandonment in geographically isolated areas.

The department also introduced major reforms in textbook procurement, moving away from in-house manuscript development to purchasing available market titles. This shortened procurement timelines from 245–451 days to as few as 180 days, resulting in time savings of up to 246 days, or efficiency gains of 26 to 45 percent.

The reform enabled DepEd to complete the procurement of all planned textbook requirements for 2024 and 2025, ensuring the timely availability of learning materials in schools.

DepEd also awarded projects focused on teacher upskilling and inclusion, including programs to upskill and reskill 1,000 professional and graduating pre-service teachers, as well as initiatives to strengthen referral mechanisms for learners with disabilities under the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

The department advanced the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project (TEACEP), a five-year, World Bank-funded initiative covering Regions IX, XII, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), awarding 16,600 tablets to support teaching and instructional leadership in priority areas.

To ensure learning continuity during emergencies, DepEd rolled out prototype units for the Disaster Response System for the Learning Continuity Package and upgraded Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS). A total of 141 LCS units were deployed or prepared for nationwide rollout.

DepEd also implemented the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) for fiscal year 2025, covering 3.39 million beneficiaries for hot meals or fortified food for 120 days, and 2.68 million beneficiaries for milk feeding for 15 days.

For early childhood education, the department awarded 228,740 kindergarten educational toy sets and 2.21 million kindergarten activity sheets to strengthen play-based learning and school readiness.

With DepEd receiving its largest budget to date at P1.015 trillion for 2026, the agency said it will further strengthen procurement reforms through expanded early procurement, tighter alignment with school needs, and faster delivery timelines.

“Kapag maayos at maagap ang procurement, mas maaga ring nakakarating sa mga paaralan ang mga kailangang resources (When procurement is efficient and timely, the necessary resources reach schools earlier),” Angara said.

“Doon nasusukat kung epektibo ang serbisyo ng gobyerno at kung may tunay na balik ang pondo ng bayan (That is where the effectiveness of government service is measured, and where the true return of public funds can be seen),” he added.

DepEd said the procurement gains are part of its broader push to modernize systems, shorten delivery cycles, and ensure that every peso spent on education produces timely and tangible benefits for Filipino learners and teachers.