SENATOR Nancy Binay on Monday called for the convergence of education and cultural agencies of the government in the approval and publication of textbooks used in schools.

During the Finance Subcommittee budget hearing, Binay raised the viral issue on the errors found in Department of Education textbooks.

She learned that the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the Commission on the Filipino Language, the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts, and other cultural agencies are not permanent members of the DepEd’s technical panels working on the guidelines, content and production of textbooks and other learning resources.

“Maybe the Bureau of Learning Resources of the DepEd should be consulting you because you, technically, have the expertise on the matter,” Binay told the agencies in Filipino.

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro-Tempore Loren Legarda urged officials of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to allot a substantial amount for the Schools of Living Traditions in their budget.

Legarda said Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte asked for her help for the SLTs in Davao City during the budget hearing of the DepEd last week.

“How many SLTs are there on record? Based on research and historical data we have in the country, where are they located? And in the past years we have helped the SLTs, because there is an SLT program that is funded every year, how many have been helped already?” Legarda asked.

She also encouraged the NCCA to submit an Arts and Culture development plan to ensure the continuity of the SLT program.