Textbooks scandal mushrooms

Publishers delivered books despite the suspension of Public Procurement. Acknowledgments of receipt show that Education received the textbooks.

Santo Domingo.- Since last Wednesday, the Ministry of Education began to receive the digital books that it will use in the next school year, despite the suspension of several of the purchase contracts ordered by the Directorate of Public Procurement and Contracting (DGCP), for alleged textbooks irregularities in the tender.

Both the publishers Actualidad Escolar, as well as Cocolo Editorial and CA-Mart Soluciones assure that they have already delivered to the Ministry the books corresponding to their contract as winners in the tender “MINERD-CCC-PEEX-2022-0003 for the acquisition of textbooks, digital format, for the secondary level, the school year 2022-2023”.

1.8 billion pesos were awarded in the contract with the aforementioned publishing houses.

Still, on Wednesday, Public Procurement assured that its resolution 104-2022, of last July 12, was in force, with which it partially suspended the aforementioned tender regarding the award contracts of the companies Cocolo Editorial, Editora Cosme Peña, CA-Mart Solutions, and Editions Salomé.