Financial Gazette
By Tinashe Madava
4 May 2012
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, has lashed out at the members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, accusing them of incompetence.
This follows the tabling in Parliament of a report on the committee’s investigations into the primary and secondary schools Education Transition Fund (ETF) managed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Coltart has, in the past two years, laboured to defend the tender process, repeatedly explaining that this was donor money, managed by the said donors.
Responding to the committee’s report, Coltart said the parliamentarians had erred in their findings and lied to the august House.
Coltart has even posted some articles to defend himself on his website, where contributors have shown support for the senator.
“I think it goes without saying that all committees should conduct the affairs in an objective manner, in a transparent manner and fundamentally they need to be truthful with this Honourable House,” said Coltart.
He denied allegations of corruption saying that he was not involved in adjudication of the tenders and explained that UNICEF, who managed the project, were the ones responsible and used their own system. This was so because the money was donor money.
Coltart said the report “gives the impression it was Zimbabwean government money subject to Zimbabwe government tender procedures, which it was not. It was all donor money donated by Western governments and other organisations to the Education Transition Fund”.
The minister said the report does not mention the US$10 million that was saved through the price negotiations saying the MPs also failed to mention that several meetings were held with publishers to bring the price down.
“There are statements, for example, that the minister was involved in this process. It flies in the face of the facts. UN procurement processes are subject to international internal and external audit requirements,” explained Coltart.
The chairwoman of the committee, Dorothy Mangami, was not available for comment this week as her mobile phone could not be reached.
But The Financial Gazette has it on good authority that during the investigations, the portfolio committee had at one time even contemplated charging Coltart and his permanent secretary, Stephen Mahere, with contempt of Parliament charges. This, however, never happened.
The portfolio committee started investigations into the over US$60 million book tender after some local publishing and printing companies cried foul when they lost out to Longman. This prompted frantic efforts to have the process reversed.
But this was contrary to UNICEF’s stance. The tender, won by Longman Zimbabwe, was flighted under the ETF targeted at producing millions of textbooks for primary schools to improve the education system in the country. Secondary schools also benefited under the ETF.
“Because of the economies of scale, UNICEF was able to negotiate with publishers to procure textbooks for primary schools at a price that will allow, not only all primary schoolchildren to benefit, but will also be now expanded to Braille, minority languages, and secondary school,” says a statement on UNICEF’s website.
The ETF recently received another US$38 million for a second phase aimed at improving the education sector in the country. The funds, provided by UKAid, are expected to enhance and improve governance systems and training of teachers.”