Perak college pays record price for CCTV

AUDIT REPORT Prices of goods may differ from one place to another, but when it comes to a DVR16 close circuit television system (CCTV), the Auditor-General's 2012 Report finds the price difference between two places too big to swallow.

According to the report, a unit of the DVR 16 CCTV purchased by the Gerik Community College in Perak cost more than eight times what its counterpart paid for in Masjid Tanah, Malacca.

One unit in Gerik cost RM85,500 the one in Masjid Tanah cost RM10,249. 

Despite initiating an investigation into the matter, the Higher Education Ministry (now merged into the Education Ministry) justified the discrepancy by saying the CCTVs were bought separately.

"The specifications, design, suppliers, locations and method of installation were different. The prices had been reviewed during the tender process as part of the entire project cost," the ministry said.

The CCTVs were installed as part of a bigger project to upgrade 15 community colleges throughout Malaysia, costing a total of RM50.17 million.

CCTV covered with bird droppings

The auditor-general audited upgrading works in only six colleges, which cost a total of RM32.01 million, and found that the CCTVs were not only unreasonably priced, but also illogically installed. 

For example, one CCTV without the zoom function was installed on the second floor of a college, while a CCTV that could turn 360 degrees was mounted on a wall, defeating its rotating function.

Maintenance was also an issue, the report says, with one CCTV unable to capture images clearly as it was covered with bird droppings, while another had stopped recording because its disc was full. 

Other parts of upgrading work were also done shoddily. For example, slanted flooring at a sports complex rendered the area unusable for sports.

Puddles formed on floors where tiles were not laid properly, while in other rooms, tiles were not laid at all.

To prevent such things from recurring, the auditor-general said, the Education Ministry should enforce stricter controls and take action against contractors who perform below par.