Cabinet at its last meeting gave its no-objection to another text book contract, pegged at approximately $15 million, for the procurement of reading texts for primary schools across Guyana. Under the Ministry of Education’s programme to boost achieving the 2015 Millennium Development Goal – Universal Primary Access to education – contracts were given no objection by cabinet.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon had announced on October 31 last that government was moving to procure primary and secondary textbooks at some US$300,083 ($74,600,000). Further, Luncheon had said that cabinet offered no objection to contracts for $30.6 million, $60.42 million and $29.12 million, respectively, for the supply and delivery of reading books and technical school supplies, bringing the total for school materials in the public school system to $194,740,000. He had also said that the sums approved were not enough and government would have to go back to the National Assembly to get approval for more money to buy additional supplies.
In September, the Publishers Association took to the High Court and obtained an injunction against five stores, blocking the sale of photocopies of their respective texts. The move came after tenders were opened for the supply of pirated copies of texts to the Ministry of Education for its book distribution programme, for which government had pre-selected seven companies to bid to supply photocopied texts.
The government’s declaration that it was pursuing contracts for the pirating of textbooks for public school students triggered public concern. “You could be a publisher with a copyright and you could offer to sell me the book for $1. My friend is a good photocopy artist and he could sell me the book for 10 cents. All of you are going to bid but who do you think is going to get it?” Luncheon had said at the time.
Meanwhile, contract awards to the tune of $6.26 million and $12.98 million, respectively were also cleared for the supply of breast milk substitute and full cream breast milk substitutes for infants through the Ministry of Health. That ministry also had $19.80 million cleared for the supply and delivery of furniture and equipment.
For the security sector, a $51.20 million contract to rehabilitate the New Amsterdam Central Police Station was also given Cabinet’s no objection. A $37.24 million contract for the supply and delivery of building materials for the Guyana Prison Service was also cleared.
