• Return to Bulawayo http://t.co/jh0CFsaA via @smh #
• Coltart says he had nothing to do with tender for textbooks http://t.co/bBogyapP #
• Unicef respond to tender scam allegations http://t.co/ONdpDzSB "all procurements are subject to the strictest transparency requirements" #
• Good luck to the Zimbabwean Cheetahs as they start their Hong Kong 7s campaign tomorrow. Zimbabwe is right behind you all. #
• Great to see Michael Schumacher back at the top of Formula One in Malaysia. Just wish he was driving a Ferrari! #
• Zimbabwe Cheetahs doing magnificently in Hong Kong 7s. Beat Canada and Philippines. If Canada beat Spain now Zim will top Pool E #
• Wrong in last tweet – we need Spain and Canada to draw for Cheetahs to advance. #
• Canada beat Spain in Hong Kong 7s and tie with Zim Cheetahs at the top of Pool E. But they have a better goal difference so sadly are higher #
• Congrats to @Irelandcricket for a superb victory in the World 20/20 qualifiers. Time you came back to tour Zimbabwe again! #

Newsday

By Veneranda Langa 

24 March 2012

MDC-T MPs yesterday said Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister David Coltart did a sterling job in the provision of textbooks to primary and secondary schools in the country and condemned a recent report by a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee which alleged the tender process had not been transparent.

The negative report on textbook tendering and distribution was presented on Tuesday by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture chaired by Gokwe MP, Dorothy Mangami.

But Mazowe Central MP Shepherd Mushonga defended the minister saying the country was in dire need of textbooks with a ratio of one book to 50 children, an anomaly Coltart had successfully addressed.

He said following the programme, funded by Unicef and European Union countries, the Education ministry had managed to reduce the ratio to one book per child in the country.

Mushonga argued that publishing houses fighting to win the book tender wanted to be favoured at the expense of struggling schoolchildren. Their prices were exorbitant.

“It was never the objective of the Education Transition Fund to promote publishing houses at the expense of children and they refused to reduce their profit margins as advised,” said Mushonga.

“The core objective of one pupil one textbook was achieved and what is worrying is that some of the MPs in the committee like Mwenezi East MP, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti had vested interests in the tender system as they own bookshops or publishing houses,” he said.

Zimbabwe Publishing House, Kingstons Holdings, Mambo Press and Longman Zimbabwe, contested for the tender to publish books which was won by Longman after prices and quality of books were considered.

MDC-T MP for Zaka Central, Harison Mudzuri said Coltart did his best to rescue the education system from total collapse.

He said the minister ought to be commended for positive results coming through at both
primary and secondary school levels.

Highfield West MP Simon Hove said all textbooks were delivered to schools and since no school had complained that they did not receive their share, what Coltart did was above board.

UNICEF Announces Successful Completion of Textbook Procurement Programme Under The Education Transition Fund Phase I

22 March 2012

Zimbabwe now one of just a few countries world-wide where every child has a set of textbooks in core subjects.

UNICEF today announced the completion of the first phase of the Education Transition Fund. All textbooks for the more than 2,300 secondary schools have now been dispatched. Combined with the primary school textbook distribution completed in 2011, this brings the total number of textbooks procured to around 23 million and will make Zimbabwe the only country in Africa with an estimated ratio of pupils to textbooks of 1:1.

The Education Transition Fund (ETF) is a multi-donor pooled fund guided by a steering committee, chaired by the Minister of Education Sports, Arts and Culture (MOESAC) Senator David Coltart. The ETF was established in late 2009 as a response to the decline in the quality of education and the lack of availability of textbooks and other teaching materials. The ratio of pupils to textbooks was estimated at around 10:1 in 2009 with a full 20% of primary schools having no books at all.

ETF funds are fully managed by UNICEF and, contrary to the Herald article published yesterday reporting on a parliamentary portfolio committee debate, all procurement has been conducted according to UN rules and regulations rather than government tender procedures. These rules dictate that bids are adjudicated on the basis of both quality and value for money. A Contracts Review Committee must approve all such procurement processes; such committees were comprised only of UN senior staff; these committees did not include any government minister or indeed any other government official and are subjected to the strictest conflict of interest, transparency, confidentiality and audit requirements.

The original target of ETF phase I was to improve the ratio of pupils to textbooks in primary school from 10: 1 to around 2:1. Due to the economies of scale, the successful procurement exercises using established UN procedures, as well as the willingness of the Zimbabwean publishing houses to act in the best interests of children, the ETF programmes was able to purchase textbooks at less than $1 USD per book. These savings not only allowed a 1:1 ratio of primary school books to be achieved but also enabled the programme to be extended to secondary schools within the same budget envelope; in total, 16.5 million more textbooks were therefore procured benefitting 2 million more Zimbabwean children. The total estimated combined savings to international donors, and ultimately to Zimbabwean children, has been more than 50 million USD across both the primary and secondary school procurement exercises.

The textbooks procured through ETF are in the following subjects-Maths, Environmental Science, English, Shona, Ndebele, History and Geography; only textbooks on the MOESAC approved list of books are procured and all are marked as strictly NOT FOR SALE. The three main Zimbabwean publishing houses, ZPH, Longmans and College Press, have all been awarded contracts under this programme for either primary or secondary schools, on a quality and value for money basis. As they hold copyright under Zimbabwean law, each publishing house selected their preferred printers. In addition to core textbooks, ETF phase I has also supported procurement of Braille books for children with visual impairments, minority language books, steel cabinets and stationery as well as a capacity development programme for School Development Committees. Phase II of the programme, which will commence in 2012, will focus on quality of education, school governance and access to education.

ZimEye

22 March 2012

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has exonerated Education Minister David Coltart from random allegations that claimed he had flouted tender regulations by issuing a textbook supply contract to an international company.

UNICEF said the procurement of textbooks was done in accordance with United Nations rules and not in accordance with Zimbabwean laws.

In a statement, Unicef said its rules dictated that bids be adjudicated on the basis of both quality and value for money.

The agency was responding to state media story based on a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee report on Education and Culture that alleged that the process was not done in accordance with the law. The committee, chaired by Cde Dorothy Mangami (Zanu-PF) had fingered Education, Arts, Sport and Culture Minister David Coltart for failing to handle the textbooks tendering system transparently. The textbooks were bought under the Education Transition Fund.

“A Contracts Review Committee must approve all such procurement processes, such committees were comprised only of UN senior staff, these committees did not include any government minister or any other government official and are subject to the strictest conflict of interest, transparency, confidentiality and audit requirements,” said the statement.

In its report presented on Tuesday, the committee had alleged that the Minister had failed to uphold the provisions and guidelines of a Statutory Instrument governing procurement of goods and services.

The committee said there was need to harmonise international laws and domestic laws, adding that where there appeared to be a conflict, local laws should take precedence.

“The committee questioned the role played by Unicef in dictating their own tender procedures at the expense of local procedures raising concern whether international law takes precedence over domestic law,” read the report.

It was also claimed in the report that publishers were asked to submit joint prices and Unicef was to supply them with additional information, which the UN agency had used elsewhere internationally.

“A meeting to finalise these issues was to be convened, but it never took place,” read the report tabled by Cde Mangami.

The committee said Unicef required two formats on price, that is the unit price and the price per page but it was felt that it was left vague as to which format would apply. The Ministry had also been castigated for failing to have a clear data capturing mechanism which resulted in distribution of wrong textbooks to some schools.

Lower Gweru School got Shona textbooks instead of Ndebele books.
In its statement last night, Unicef said the programme was successfully implemented as it had actually achieved more than just its intended target within the same budget envelope.

This, said Unicef, was as a result of the willingness by Zimbabwean publishing houses to act in the best interests of children as it went beyond the initial target of merely improving ratio of pupil textbook in primary school from 10:1 to around 2:1.

“These savings not only allowed a 1:1 ratio of primary school books to be achieved but also enabled the programme to be extended to secondary schools within the same budget envelope,” said Unicef.

It estimated the total combined savings to international donors and ultimately to Zimbabwean children as being more than US$50 million across both the primary and secondary schools. The textbooks procured through the fund were Maths, English, Environmental Science, Shona and Ndebele, History and Geography.

Meanwhile, Coltart said he was never a part of the tender process stating that 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 Education minister said the textbooks were funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and that “UNICEF used its own tender procedures to go out and negotiate the contracts for the production of the books. None of us in government were involved in the tender process in anyway whatsoever.”

Coltart appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education and Sports, Tuesday, where legislators from both ZANU PF and the MDC-T took him to task over the supply of the textbooks.

The Herald

22 March 2012 

UNICEF yesterday said the procurement of textbooks was done in accordance with United Nations rules and not in accordance with Zimbabwean laws.

In a statement yesterday, Unicef said its rules dictated that bids be adjudicated on the basis of both quality and value for money.

The agency was responding to a Herald story based on a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee report on Education and Culture that alleged that the process was not done in accordance with the law. The committee, chaired by Cde Dorothy Mangami (Zanu-PF) had fingered Education, Arts, Sport and Culture Minister David Coltart for failing to handle the textbooks tendering system transparently. The textbooks were bought under the Education Transition Fund.

“A Contracts Review Committee must approve all such procurement processes, such committees were comprised only of UN senior staff, these committees did not include any government minister or any other government official and are subject to the strictest conflict of interest, transparency, confidentiality and audit requirements,” said the statement.

In its report presented on Tuesday, the committee had alleged that the Minister had failed to uphold the provisions and guidelines of a Statutory Instrument governing procurement of goods and services.

The committee said there was need to harmonise international laws and domestic laws, adding that where there appeared to be a conflict, local laws should take precedence.

“The committee questioned the role played by Unicef in dictating their own tender procedures at the expense of local procedures raising concern whether international law takes precedence over domestic law,” read the report.

It was also noted in the report that publishers were asked to submit joint prices and Unicef was to supply them with additional information, which the UN agency had used elsewhere internationally.

“A meeting to finalise these issues was to be convened, but it never took place,” read the report tabled by Cde Mangami.

The committee said Unicef required two formats on price, that is the unit price and the price per page but it was felt that it was left vague as to which format would apply. The Ministry had also been castigated for failing to have a clear data capturing mechanism which resulted in distribution of wrong textbooks to some schools.

Lower Gweru School got Shona textbooks instead of Ndebele books

In its statement last night, Unicef said the programme was successfully implemented as it had actually achieved more than just its intended target within the same budget envelope.

This, said Unicef, was as a result of the willingness by Zimbabwean publishing houses to act in the best interests of children as it went beyond the initial target of merely improving ratio of pupil textbook in primary school from 10:1 to around 2:1.

“These savings not only allowed a 1:1 ratio of primary school books to be achieved but also enabled the programme to be extended to secondary schools within the same budget envelope,” said Unicef.

It estimated the total combined savings to international donors and ultimately to Zimbabwean children as being more than US$50 million across both the primary and secondary schools. The textbooks procured through the fund were Maths, English, Environmental Science, Shona and Ndebele, History and Geography.

The Herald

By Zvamaida Murwira

21 March 2012

Parliament yesterday took Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart to task for awarding a textbooks supply tender to an international firm leaving out Zimbabwean companies.

Legislators said the decision will subject all primary school pupils to one school of thought for the next five years, the lifespan of the textbooks.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education and Sports, chaired by Gokwe MP, Cde DorothyMangami (Zanu-PF), said there were several issues that raised eyebrows in the manner in which the minister handled the tender.

The textbooks were being funded by the Unicef under the Education Transition Fund.

Chitungwiza North MP Mr Fidelis Mhashu (MDC-T) said the tender bordered on “corruption as Longman Zimbabwe was merely used as a front for Longman International” (United Kingdom) ahead of local firms like Zimbabwe Publishing House, Mambo Press and College Press among others.

The committee said this while presenting a report in the House of Assembly. In its report, the committee noted that several stakeholders, including ministry officials dropped out of the meetings as they felt the process was not being handled transparently.

This saw Minister Coltart chairing the meetings himself.

It was noted that various agreed procedures were violated and these include, achieving least cost, promotion of local industry, equitable distribution of work between publishers and printers and ensure that there was no monopoly.

An advert for the tender was flighted just before Christmas in 2009 inviting printers to submit bids, a situation that saw other stakeholders like publishers not applying since they thought it was for printers.

Upon inquiry, publishers were asked to apply and were given less than 13 days.

“Tenders were publicly opened on January 18 2010 and only the content of the first two tenders were announced. The opening requirement to read out all tenders was bypassed. The details of the tender, which should have been read out at tender opening on 18 January were released after two months,” said Cde Mangami while presenting the report.

The tender was eventually awarded to a publisher and not a printer without explanation.

If ranking of unit price per page was applied, Longman would have won the right to supply only English and Shona textbooks while price per page would have seen Longman being awarded English, half of Maths and Shona while ZPH would have been awarded half of Maths, Science and Ndebele.

“Final tender adjudication results were never released as one would expect in accordance with the Statutory Instrument No 171 of 2002 which requires unsuccessful tenders to be advised of the name of the successful tenderer and the amount of his tender by the Board.

“Tender results were communicated to Longman Zimbabwe only through a contract signing ceremony without announcing results to tenders in writing,” said Cde Mangami.

“The failure by the minister to announce the winner of the tender was a clear sign that the tender procedure was not well followed and observed,” said Cde Mangami.

Contributing to the debate, Mr Mhashu said one challenge with providing school pupils with one school of thought is that it leads to conditioning and indoctrination.

“This will kill innovation and creativity, it retards learning. There was blatant, deliberate violation of the tender process. In this case Longman Zimbabwe was a front for Longman International UK and they have their printing firm in South Africa where they would bring the material duty free, that is corruption,” said Mr Mhashu.

He said awarding Longman the tender violated the indigenous laws of the country since the local publishing arm was merely a front of its parent firm in London.

As a result of this, said Mr Mhashu, primary school pupils will be subjected to routing and monotonous learning material as opposed to variety material.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition

By Zimrights

21 March 2012

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), yesterday the 20^th of March 2012, appealed to the Minister of Education, Art, Sport and Culture Honourable David Coltart to introduce human rights education in the Zimbabwean school curriculum.

The National Director, Mr Okay Machisa, made the call during the launch of a book, published by ZimRights,  entitled “The state of the Zimbabwean Education Sector in the 21^st Century”, where the Minister was the guest of honour. The call resonates with the Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI)’s global request on this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which is observed annually on the 21^st of March (today). The YHRI invited all its supporters and volunteers “to organize petition drive to implement human rights education into the school curriculum so that our youth learn their human rights” and arguing that when young people know what their human rights are, they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace.

The organisation, through the chairperson, Mr Everson Ndlovu also appealed for HIV and AIDS to be added on board so as to raise awareness on the pandemic. Matebeleland North was given as a particular area where there is very little knowledge on the pandemic and its associated life threatening effects.

Responding to a number of questions raised pertaining to the subject, Honorable David Coltart, acknowledged that there were some irregularities in the operations of the Ministry of Education adding that the ministry has since made submissions to Parliament on its five year recovery plan which cabinet is expected to deliberate on.

The publication that was launched was a collaboration between ZimRights and other individuals including, Okay Machisa, Dr Bornface Chisaka, Professor Fred Zindi, Professor Chiromo, Professor Moyana and Professor Gudyanga among others. All the authors of the book were in attendance except for one, Dr Munyaradzi Alexander Zeyengeya, who passed on before the product was ready for consumption.

According to Zimrights, the publication was born out of the genuine need to contribute to the discourse and development of the education system in Zimbabwe that has, due to a decade long of political and economic irregularities, ended up in limbo. It explores the development of the country’s education sector; highlighting all the successes and challenges that it has encountered over the years. The idea was spirited by the desire to contribute to the excellence of the education system.

21 March 2012

Department of Information and Publicity

MDC99 Communique on David Coltart Alleged Tender Scandal

It is astonishing and disturbing to note that Hon David Coltart is being accused of having been involved in a Tender scandal on flimsy allegations based on partisan politics from ZANU (PF) and MDC-T. Without suggesting that Hon Coltart is innocent but we are concerned at the content of allegations clearly classified as ‘corruption’ based on the Tender not having been offered to a local company.

All is open for everyone to see that Hon David Coltart has so far done an extremely tremendous job within the Ministry of Education and Culture whereupon now all children in Zimbabwe are going to school and have text books while emerging from a real collapse of the education system in the country. Sadly and ironically the collapse of government structures in Zimbabwe was caused by Dorothy Mangani’s political party and sustained now by Fidelis Mhashu’s party under the inclusive government. Fidelis’s dismal performance in government was glaring for all to see until he was fired from Cabinet by Morgan Tsvangirai.

As a party we uphold the values of good governance and performance irrespective of political affiliations in line with our founding principles which have, unfortunately, been forgotten by MDC-Tsvangirai and Ncube under the tutorship of ZANU (PF) leadership style. We want to celebrate and promote good service delivery to the people of Zimbabwe who we serve in our struggle for political emancipation.

Zimbabweans have struggled for a long time and any form of party politics extents oppression, discrimination, brutality and suffering among the people of Zimbabwe. Our democratic principles promote multi- party democracy which allows freedom of association and speech. And under the circumstance we accommodate the promotion of good performance by members of other parties.

We therefore trust that Hon David Coltart will clear his name on the said allegations and continue to deliver service to the people of Zimbabwe.

ZBC

20 March 2012

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Senator David Coltart has come under fire for flouting tender procedures and compromising education by allegedly corruptly awarding publishing house, Longman Zimbabwe, the sole responsibility to publish primary school textbooks ahead of local book houses.

The education Minister came under fire in the House of Assembly after Zanu PF Gokwe Central legislator, Cde Dorothy Mangami moved a motion for debate on the report of the Portfolio Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture on primary and secondary schools textbooks distribution under the Education Transition Fund.

The report revealed the awarding of a tender to Longman Zimbabwe to be the sole publisher of primary school textbooks had been corruptly done.

There were also allegations that Senator Coltart himself personally awarded the tender to Longman Zimbabwe.

“We received complaints from book houses and after investigations, we found out that the process was violated. The results were later availed to 3 houses but tender results were awarded without writing to the other houses,” said Cde Mangami.

MDC-T Chitungwiza North House of Assembly Member, Mr Fidelis Mhashu who seconded the motion described the Minister’s stance as gross corruption which will lead to a collapse in the education sector.

He said Mr Coltart has contravened section 22, subsection 3 part 4 of statutory instrument 171 of 2002 which stipulates that bidders are supposed to be informed with reason as to the failure or success of their bid for tender, in writing and openly.

“The Minister hid behind international laws which he chose over local ones. There was blatant favour as Longman Zimbabwe is a front for its British parent company,” said Mr Mhashu.

Zanu PF Uzumba legislator, Cde Simbaneuta Mudarikwa questioned the type of education that Senator Coltart’s Ministry intends to administer to Zimbabwean children, adding that he should have chosen transparency over corrupt tendencies which compromise the country’s literacy rate.

“Education makes the being and this will affect the literacy rate which is one of the best on the continent. We cannot compromise our children’s future because of greedy and corrupt tendencies,” Cde Mudarikwa said.

The accusations leveled against the Minister emanate from government’s efforts to achieve the one book to one pupil ration.

Though the ratio was achieved, Longman Zimbabwe had been awarded the bulky of the work while the Zimbabwe Publishing House and College Press were left to share the smaller remainder.

It is also alleged the tender process also flouted the indigenisation and empowerment laws.

Please follow the link below for photos of this event:

http://www.sha.co.zw/photos/2123-sha-photo-admin/photo?albumid=793#photoid=9277