Procurement and underdevelopment: a case study of the 2nd IDA Education Project Equipment procurement Adminstration
Loading...
Date
1978
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
Education for self-reliance has received much emphasis since the Arusha Declaration was announced. It is in the light of this emphasis that attempts have been made to diversity education at post primary levels. This has ironically necessitated some reliance’s on external aid the very antithesis of self reliance through loans and grants for building and equipping some of the schools. Studies conducted by Moshe and Tuntufye in Education have given the general impressions that reliance on external aid has got some bad effects on the beneficiary and that schools suffer from shortages of equipment so that it is difficult to execute the policy of education for self-reliance. This research then is a case study of the 2nd IDA Education project equipment procurement administration. It attempts to explore the roles played by both the World Bank and the Crown the agents in the procurement task, to investigate the extent to which the project institutions were involved were involved in the preparation of the lists of equipment for them, to determine the procedures in the procurement process and the methods used for controlling stock, to evaluate the utility of the project equipment and to examine the extent to which the procurement staff had been adequately prepared for the procurement assignment. The case study involved different types of organisations. These were Naistry of Nat. Education, the Treasury, the world Dank, the Crown agents, the government stores, and 32 secondary schools and colleges that had been involved in the project. The data was collected through reading relevant documents, interviews, observation and questionnaires. The questionnaires were sent to all of the 32 institutions and were to be filled by heads of institutions, the store men and heads of subject department. The questions for the first and last respondents were open while those for the store men were structured. The data collecting work took two month mid-march to mid may. The data obtained throw the instruments mentioned above ware summarized under the relevant categories. The responses to the questions in the three types of questions in the three types of questionnaires were tabulated and the percentages of their distribution were calculated with a simple hand electric calculator. The quantification of data was accompanied with discussion. The study revealed a number of thing, one, it revealed that to the World Bank the procurement exercise was part of its commercial business. It was keen to see to it that it succeeded, thus it helped the procurement staff, the tool of execution with advice etc, so as to make it efficient and responsible. Two, the study revealed that the engagement of the crown agent had been predetermined by the colonial era through which the country had passed and her underdeveloped. It was further revealed that the project schools were not involved in the preparation of equipment lists, which led to inadequate selection of equipment and its subsequent non-utilization. The foreign experts, who drew up the equipment, had not included any locally made items. Importing all the equipment had bought about the problems of lack of spare parts, delay in the delivery etc. As regards procurement procedures, the research revealed that the use of the crown agents and the Government stores created unnecessarily long chain which was accompanied with delays in placing orders and getting the goods delivered. Clearing of goods from the port took a long time as there were too many formalities to be covered before the physical clearance. The stock control system in the project planning sections had been inadequate. This state of affairs existed in most of the schools. However educational institutions had good centralized stock control systems. The findings of research revealed, in additional much equipment, especially machines, Jeas not being used because it was out of order, uninstalled or not of the right type, lack of qualified repairs and teachers had contributes to this state. Lastly the findings showed that the project planning section had no adequately prepared staff to undertake the procurement assignment when the project took some of the problems can be solver' by revising the procurement regulations and train no stores officers for the Ministry headquarters and educational institutions. But the major problems in procurement can only be solved by making serious attempts to disengage the country from reliance on the imports and experts from capitalist and other foreign countries. Therefore, both small scale and heavy industries are recommended.
Description
Available in print form, EAF collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, class mark ( THS EAF LB3278.T3N3 )
Keywords
Schools, Furniture and equipment
Citation
Nchimbi, E.L ( 1978 ) Procurement and underdevelopment: a case study of the 2nd IDA Education Project Equipment procurement Adminstration, Procurement and underdevelopment: a case study of the 2nd IDA Education Project Equipment procurement Adminstration,Masters dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.