K16m deal for textbooks

 A CONTRACT agreement of K15,993,600 to buy and supply curriculum resource textbooks was signed by the Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio last Monday.

The contract was signed between Pearsons Education Australia and Education Secretary Dr Michael Tapo at Government House.

Tapo said data collected by the Education Department indicated that “there are 10 or more students sharing one textbook in primary and four our more in secondary schools throughout the country”.

He said while the Government had made a conscious decision to deliver tuition free education from elementary to Grade 12, it has recognised that there are impediments in its efforts to deliver quality education one of which is the short supply of curriculum textbooks.

Tapo said from a funding of K30 million available under the recurrent expenditure, K15,993,600 was secured to execute the contract between the State and Pearsons Education (Australia).

The National Executive Council awarded the contract to Pearsons Education Australia, as endorsed by Central Supply and Tender Board, following a public advertisement for tenders in November 2011.