EduMin wants ONAC president sacked following botched tender for student tablets

Education Minister Monica Anisie asks Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to sack the president of the National Centralized Procurement Office (ONAC), Cornelia Nagy, after learning about the "disappointing" result of the tender for the purchase of internet-connected tablets for students.

"The Ministry of Education and Research has taken note of the disappointing result of the tender for the purchase of electronic devices with Internet connection organized by the National Centralized Procurement Office. The Ministry has taken steps for the purchase of the 250,000 electronic devices as early as on May 7, when 150 million lei were allocated for this purpose by Government Decision. All the institutions involved, ONAC included, pledged to conclude all the procedures as per the agreed terms, so that the devices be at the students' disposal on the first day of school. Despite receiving full support from the Education Ministry throughout this period, ONAC officials refused to be cooperative and proactive for identifying fast solutions, as proves the catastrophic outcome of this entire process. More than that, ONAC did not inform the Ministry in due time about the stage of the tender, despite being repeatedly requested to do so," the Education Ministry said in a release on Monday.

Under these circumstances, Minister Monica Anisie considers that "the disastrous outcome of the tender, after so many months during which all the institutions involved, except for ONAC, have put in efforts for the procedure to be completed on time, is unacceptable".

"Those who will stand to suffer from the incompetence of the ONAC officials are the students, teachers and parents. For these reasons, I am asking the Prime Minister of Romania, Mr. Ludovic Orban, to dismiss the president of ONAC, Cornelia Nagy, and wish to resume the tender procedures as a matter of urgency," Anisie said.

PM Orban announced on Sunday evening that only 70 - 80,000 student tables of the promised 250,000 can be purchased until the beginning of the school year, as the authorities found that the tender conducted by ONAC is far from being completed.