The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Science and the Creative Industries, Mr Makhi Feni, has urged the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to reassess its reliance on private companies for services, citing rising costs and concerns over capacity.
This call followed a briefing to the committee by both the DBE and the North West Education Department on the printing of examination papers and school-based assessment tasks. The North West Education Department outlined details of a R500 million, five-year contract awarded to a private company for the printing of matriculation examination question papers.
Mr Feni warned that outsourcing core responsibilities to private firms could convey a negative impression — that the government lacks confidence in its own personnel. “There is nothing wrong with outsourcing work that requires specialist technical skills government does not yet possess,” he said. “However, it must be necessary, and there should be clear plans for skills transfer.”
He further stressed the pressing infrastructure backlog facing provinces such as the North West. “How do we reconcile the high expenditure on this private printing contract with the significant infrastructure challenges on the ground?” he asked.
Mr Feni expressed doubts about whether the Department even had the financial resources to sustain the increasing costs, especially as the contract nears completion.
“We will not stop advocating for the strengthening of internal capacity within government departments. If we persist with this approach, are we not eroding the very function of the state?” he posed. He called for a focus on building in-house capabilities and only outsourcing tasks requiring genuine specialisation.
The rising costs associated with printing in the North West Province have attracted media attention, and Mr Feni sought clarity on whether contingency plans were in place should the private provider fail to deliver. “This country cannot be governed by private interests. We expect the government to deliver essential services where it has the capacity to do so. Private companies are driven by profit, not public service,” he added.
Mr Feni concluded by calling on the North West Education Department to improve service delivery and ensure that the state fulfils its responsibilities effectively.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
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