The National Book Development Board (NBDB) organized a meeting on November 17, 2020 where the Department of Education (DepEd) consulted private publishers about a procurement order to be issued for self-learning modules (SLMs).

The SLMs are to be used in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the current academic year, and DepEd is working with NBDB to phase in the participation of local publishers in the supply of textbooks and other materials, including SLMs, which would help the local economy.

DepEd’s Curriculum and Instruction Undersecretary, Dr. Diosdado M. San Antonio, said that these conversations were vital in ensuring that the private publishers have the opportunity to collaborate with the Department.

The DepEd Curriculum and Instruction Cluster talked on the following areas: Backgrounder and Situation on SLMs, Most Essential Learning Competencies, Definition of SLMs, and Instructional Design of SLMs. Also, the DepEd Bureau of Learning Resources provided discussions on Market Survey Finding in relation to SLMs, Generic Technical Specifications of SLMs, and Guidelines on the Evaluation of Q3 and Q4 SLMs.

The presentations were followed by an open forum, which allowed the publishers to ask questions about the SLM presentations. Most of the questions focused on the procurement process of the Department, the technical specifications of the SLMs and financial aspects such as evaluation fees.

There were 109 attendees from the DepEd, NBDB and its stakeholders. The DepEd delegation was headed by Undersecretary San Antonio and Finance Undersecretary Annalyn M. Sevilla.

Contact person: Ryan Esteban, OIC Executive Director, [email protected]