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KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education has dismissed allegations that a project worth RM1.92 thousand to produce a total of 800 educational television programs was awarded through direct tender.
Education Minister Dr. Mohd Radzi Md Jidin (photo) said the project had gone through proper processes through open tender.
“At this time, the company has produced and broadcast a total of 25 educational video episodes while another 63 are waiting to be broadcast.
“The rest of the 712 episodes are still in various stages of production,” he said in his Budget 2021 closing speech on the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (November 24).
He said that the restrictions and implementation of the MCO had affected the production of the educational videos.
“So the contract has been extended from November 3, 2020 to March 31, 2021,” the minister said.
During the 2021 budget discussions, Dr. Maszlee Malik (IND-Simpang Renggam) had asked the Ministry of Education to explain the status of a directly awarded contract worth nearly RM2,000 to produce 800 educational TV shows by the end of October .
Maszlee then stood up and said that he had predicted the project could fail or be delayed as fees to produce the videos were below market price.
“When I checked the e-procurement website, they were offering RM1,000 per episode, while the market rate is RM2,500 per minute.
“What companies will dare to bid (for the project)? For market players, the project seemed like a direct award,” he said.
Given this, Radzi reiterated again that the project was carried out through open tender.
“At the beginning of MCO, we did not have any educational program through terrestrial television, as it had been abolished for a long time.
“So when the MCO happened, we needed educational television shows, and we strived to find the best approach and get the content as quickly as possible.
“We needed it before the end of the year. But, as I mentioned, the MCO restrictions had affected parts of the production, as teachers had to move to film,” he said.
To a question from Teo Nie Ching (PH-Kulai) about the inconsistency of standard operating procedures for child care centers in states that are not classified as red zones, Radzi said that all kindergartens under the ministry’s purview they are not yet allowed to operate.
“Actually, they are not allowed to operate, but we will check the latest information if any centers are open in Johor and Melaka,” he said.
Teo had claimed that except for two districts in the red zone, all the kindergartens in Johor can now operate, but the ones in Pahang, which is a green zone with no active cases, still cannot open.
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