LAOAG CITY — To strengthen the fiscal management of public schools, the Schools Division of Ilocos Norte (SDOIN) will hold its first ever financial management summit at the Plaza del Norte in Suba village, Paoay town on July 5.
SDOIN Accountant Grace Turqueza-Rabang said Thursday that the summit, set at 8 a.m. on July 5, aims to capacitate school authorities on the effective and wise utilization of the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) for the betterment of teachers and learners.
“There will also be a dialogue between government financial agencies,” she said, citing the need to address the different challenges and ongoing development on fiscal management of the Department of Education.
According to Rabang, they are expecting 1,200 participants for the activity composed of school heads, accountants, disbursing officers, bid and award committee chairpersons and teachers in-charge of the school financial management.
This year, the DepEd increased the schools’ MOOE to provide the necessary supplies and support learning programs; and to maintain a safe and healthy environment for learners. The increase is around PHP347 million, which covers the teachers’ annual physical exam.
Schools Division Superintendent Vilma Eda, for her part, said public schools should prioritize the provision of clean and comfortable restrooms and for all concerned stakeholders to take an active role in securing the budget to directly benefit the learners.
“Parents or teachers should not pay for school needs. The purchase of cleaning materials for example is covered by the MOOE,” Eda explained.
Under DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2016 (DO 13), the MOOE annually allocated to public elementary and secondary schools must be utilized to:
- Procure school supplies and other consumables for teachers and students deemed necessary in the conduct of classes;
- Pay for the reproduction of teacher-made activity sheets or exercises downloaded from the Learning Resource Management and Development System;
- Fund minor repairs of facilities, building and grounds maintenance, and upkeep of school;
- Fund rentals and minor repairs of tools and equipment deemed necessary for the conduct of teaching and learning activities;
- Pay for wages of full-time janitorial, transportation/mobility and security services;
- Pay for school utilities (electricity and water) and communication (telephone and Internet connectivity) expenses;
- Support expenses for school-based training and activities selected or designed to improve learning outcomes, such as, but not limited to Learning Action Cells (LAC) and Continuous Improvement (CI) sessions;
- Support special curricular programs (e.g. advocacy, assessment, capacity building, learning environment, learner development, and research);
- Fund activities as identified in the approved School Improvement Plan for implementation in the current year and as specifically determined in the Annual Implementation Plan of the school;
- Finance expenses pertaining to graduation rites, moving up or closing ceremonies and recognition activities; and
- Procure small capital expenditure items worth PHP15,000 and below, as provided in the new Government Accounting Manual issued by the Commission on Audit and subject to separate guidelines to be issued by DepEd. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
