The Minister of Local Government
        The Minister of Finance
        The Minister of the Budget
        Provincial Governors and City and Municipal Mayors
        The Chairmen and Members of Local School Boards

1.    Priority in the use of national, local and special education fund resources (including those authorized for the purchase of books and teaching aids) shall be given to the procurement of the most current textbooks approved by the Ministry under the Textbook Production Project, in order to augment those provided through the Project, with the aim of reaching a textbook-pupil ratio of 1:1;

2.    Textbooks for elementary grades and high schools may be purchased by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, by local government units, or by local school boards without need for further special approvals beyond normal budgetary authorizations: Provided, That this authorization shall apply only to the most current textbooks authorized under the Textbook Production Project as circularized by the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports and at the maximum prices indicated therein; and Provided, Further, That the textbook-pupil ratio of 1:1 is not exceeded as a consequence of any such purchase;

3.    The purchase of reference works shall be limited to the minimum library needs of a school. The standard contents of a school library shall be established by the Minister on recommendation of the Director of the National Library and the Director of the Bureau of Elementary Education or the Bureau of Secondary Education, as the case may be;

4.    The purchase of supplementary readers, reference works not included in the list prepared under no. 3 above, commercially produced posters, flip charts, flashcards, workbooks and other teaching aids shall be suspended until further notice;

5.    A special program for the development of low cost and indigenous teaching aids shall be launched in accordance with the following guidelines:

a.    Teachers shall be trained to produce teaching aids and shall be provided tools and materials for the purpose, utilizing part of the maintenance and operating or regular equipment funds of the Ministry;

b.    The Ministry shall conduct an annual contest for the best teaching aids produced by teachers and the schools equipped with the most effective teacher-produced teaching aids. Cash prizes shall be awarded the winners as may be approved by the Minister; and

c.    The winning teaching aids may be produced in mass for distribution to teachers as part of the Textbook Project;

Since 19.07.98.