By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe

PUBLISHERS are in a bitter row with the World Bank and the education ministry over the procurement of secondary school textbooks worth $190m.

The publishers accused the bank and the ministry of breaking the procurement guidelines by changing the textbook policy.

Previously, the schools would be given a list of five books per subject from which they would choose which book to buy.

Under the new arrangement, the ministry has the mandate to choose one book for each subject, which will then be published and distributed countrywide.

The chairman of the Uganda Publishers Association, David Kibuuka, yesterday said the new policy would undermine the quality of education and scare away investors from the publishing industry.

In a letter to the education ministry and that of finance and economic planning, the publishers said the change in policy would create a monopoly. The publishers are Fountain, Longhorn, Macmillan, St. Bernard and MK.

“If this policy is used, schools will be subjected to only one book, which limits choice,” the chairman of the National Book Trust, James Tumusiime, said at a press conference in Kampala yesterday.

The policy, said the Government, would identify books which meet the minimum requirements and the lowest bidder would be selected.
The publishers said selecting the lowest bidder would undermine the quality of textbooks.

But the ministry permanent secretary, Francis Lubanga, said the aim of the policy was to avail more books to the students.

He said the World Bank’s view was that if the lowest bidder is selected, then more books can be bought.
Lubanga said the ministry would also be able to ensure that sub standard books are not published.