Education Ministry paid RM184,267 for incomplete equipment, reveals A-G report

The Education Ministry paid RM185,267 for five pieces of equipment that did not meet specifications set in the contract, the second series of the Auditor-General's report has revealed.

The equipment consisted of four units of Programmable Logic Control sets worth RM19,400 each for Politeknik Jeli, Kelantan, and one Single Cylinder Engine Test Bed worth RM106,677 for Politeknik Nilai, Negri Sembilan.

The report said the Single Cylinder Engine Test Bed should come with an operating manual, tutorial and structured training course ware, but this was not provided. Its exhaust pipe was also not channelled outside the laboratory.

Meanwhile, the Programmable Logic Control Set did not come with a personal computer as stipulated in the contract.

The report said these problems were caused by lack of expertise and unclear or incomplete information regarding the specifications.

"All equipment that is received in the equipment supply contract must be in line with the specifications that have been already been determined, to prevent any losses on the part of the government," said the report.

It said any changes to specifications must receive approval from the Education Ministry, as it might involve changes in quality and cost.

In its response dated March 10, 2015 and April 24, 2015, the Education Ministry said that the Programmable Logic Control Set did not come equipped with a computer, and that it had purchased one separately to remedy this.

- TMI