Cabinet Approves Contracts for Textbooks

KINGSTON — Cabinet has approved two contracts valued at almost $299 million for the procurement and distribution of textbooks for the 2011/12 academic year under the National Textbook Rental Scheme.

This was announced on August 10 by Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz at the weekly post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

Companies that will benefit from the award of these contracts are Kingston Publishers Limited in the sum of $223,881,126.33 and Carlong Publishers Caribbean Limited in the amount of $74,659,147.19.

The National Textbook Rental Scheme was established in 1988 through an agreement between the Jamaican and British Governments.

The scheme provides for textbooks in the major subject areas to thousands of students in grades seven to 11 in high schools; and grade seven to nine in junior high and all-age institutions.

The contracts were awarded on the recommendations of the National Contracts Commission and the Infrastructure Subcommittee.

By CHRIS PATTERSON, JIS Reporter