Sunday News
By Nobuhle Nyoni
9th May 2010
A ROW is looming pitting printing houses and the United Nations Children’s Educational Fund (UNICEF) over a textbook tender that they claim was “mysteriously†awarded to Longman Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Printing House and College Press Publishers argue the awarding of the tender was unfair.
The tender flighted under the Education Transition Fund (ETF), was targeted at producing millions of textbooks for primary schools to improve the education system in the country.
The aggrieved companies called for the suspension of the tender and said investigations into the whole process should be instituted as they feel the granting of the tender was irregular.
In a letter (which the Sunday News has in its possession) written to the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, the companies said the tender was awarded in a non-transparent manner.
“The whole tender has been shrouded in secrecy and lacks the transparency you insisted on in one of the meetings you chaired at Educational Services Division (ESD) offices,†reads the letter.
The two publishing houses also noted that that was going to create a monopoly as only one publisher was going to survive.
“The way this tender has been handled will not assist in developing local industries as two long established printing houses, Zimbabwe Publishing House and College Press Publishers will now be faced with immediate closure as there will be no other means for them to sustain their operations,’’ continued the letter.
ZPH and College Press publishers said that situation was likely to take the industry back to what it was 40 years ago where the country only had one publisher as they would not be able to operate for three years.
The letter further stated that it was Government policy and normal practice to ensure that monopolistic tendencies and entrenchments were done away with.
“The removal of competition and the entrenchment of a monopoly will ensure that there will be no incentive or economic argument to force the remaining publisher to improve or upgrade products going to schools,’’ says part of the letter.
In an interview the executive chairman of ZPH Publishers, who refused to give his first name, said he could not comment on the issue, as it was private business.
“I cannot comment right now as this is a business issue, why did you contact me when you have got the letter, what more information do you want to hear,’’ he said.
The two publishers further said the suspension of the tender was imperative as failure to do that would permanently damage the education system.
“Only one product will be available to students irrespective of how good or bad it is thereby restricting our children to only one thought and one influence,’’ read the letter.
They noted that whenever donor funds were received in the country they were expected to benefit local industries.
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Senator David Coltart said the tender was awarded transparently.
“The tender was allocated in accordance with international standards. Also UNICEF wanted to ensure that they got the best so that is why Longman Zimbabwe was chosen,’’ said Minister Coltart
Minister Coltart said a second tender was going to be flighted soon.
“A second tender is going to be flighted soon and I have no doubt that the other publishers will benefit,’’ said Minister Coltart.
He said the ministry insisted that 20 percent of the work was to be done by local companies so that they were empowered.
Efforts to get a comment from Unicef were fruitless as the spokeswoman’s phone went unanswered.
The ETF is a programme whose target is to produce millions of textbook copies for primary schools over the next five months in Zimbabwe.