Parliament condemns R1 billion textbook tender awarded to inexperienced company
The R1.6 billion textbook printing tender has raised eyebrows with calls for action to be taken against the company.
Image: File
The South African education publishing sector faces a significant setback after a billion-rand tender was awarded to Lighthouse Publishers, a company with no prior publishing experience.
The Select Committee on Education, Sciences, and the Creative Industries condemned the decision, labelling it a "sad day" for the country.
Reports indicate that Lighthouse Publishers was established just three days after the Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced the tender for the Foundation Phase book catalogue, raising concerns about its legitimacy and operational capacity.
Committee Chairperson, Makhi Feni, did not mince his words, suggesting the entire process was shrouded in secrecy and lacked the rigorous due diligence required for educational materials.
“A few established and white-owned companies are contributing thousands of titles even in vernacular when their interest is not in vernacular books. If due diligence could not be done on the winning bidder, what evidence do we have that the materials are even of acceptable use?” Feni questioned.
The scandal centres on the DBE’s Foundation Phase catalogue, a critical resource designed to provide young learners with quality reading and learning materials in their mother tongue. While the department has historically faced pressure to diversify its supplier base and include more black-owned SMEs, Feni noted that this "rogue tender" has instead sidelined legitimate small publishers who were kept in the dark about submission requirements and deadlines.
The Chairperson further suggested that the lack of oversight has allowed a "sinister" situation to manifest.
“Everything about this contract seems rotten. This is not how a catalogue should be done. There are a lot of worthy black publishers whose works in vernacular should reflect in this catalogue, that is, if DBE wants that,” said Feni.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has formally requested Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to initiate an investigation into alleged irregularities in the procurement of textbooks for South Africa’s foundation phase.
The tender has been issued to strengthen the department’s foundations for the learning campaign, which was launched last year to improve South African children’s dismal literacy and numeracy skills. The company, Lighthouse Publishers (Pty) Ltd, was awarded over a quarter (26%) of the total approvals for the publishing of textbooks for Grade 1 to 3 pupils across the country, despite being registered days before the formal briefing on the contract requirements.
A total of 6,385 titles submitted by 19 publishers were approved for publishing, with the total cost of the orders estimated at R1.6 billion.
Media reports indicated that Lighthouse Publishers had allegedly registered three days after the details of the contract were revealed. The contract specified the production of textbooks for learners in Grades 1 to 3 and learning materials for the Department of Education. Lighthouse Publishers, which would stand to make over R285-million, has denied anything untoward in the procurement process.
Feni argued that the current debacle only serves to entrench the status quo.
“The committee will forever condemn any possible corruption in this department, which is so fundamental in the task of sharpening the minds of the future. It is unfortunate that the DBE allowed a situation to manifest where corruption could just flourish,” Feni emphasised.
The Committee is now calling for a complete overhaul of the process, suggesting that National Treasury should ideally not have to intervene if the DBE acts decisively.