BRC Printing Versus Ministry of Education Settled in Supreme Court

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has settled a court case with Benque Viejo del Carmen Town-based book publishers, BRC Printing Limited. The dispute goes back to June of 2014 when the Ministry signed a contract to purchase four hundred and sixty-three thousand dollars of educational books from BRC for the 2014-2015 school year. BRC printed the books but then the Ministry changed its mind and sent a purchase order for just twenty-three thousand dollars. Minister of Education Patrick Faber was quoted as saying that the Ministry already had a large number of the books on hand and it also had concerns about the content of the reader published by BRC which did not match the official curriculum. The Minister said BRC refused, despite the Ministry’s overtures, to change the content of its book and BRC owner Deacon Cal Cathers said as much, believing that the curriculum did not address special needs for students. The lawsuit filed by BRC Printing sought judicial review of the Minister’s decision not to go through with the purchase. Supreme Court Justice Michelle Arana ordered mediation instead and the two sides have since managed to work out most of their differences. Following a status report in chambers to Justice Arana, co-attorney with Senior Counsel Michel Chebat for BRC, Nazira Myles, said the Ministry has already agreed to make up by entering a contract to buy a full order of books for the upcoming school year pending its requested amendments. Today, it also agreed on a payment for the losses sustained by BRC on the voided purchase, which is satisfactory to both sides but which we understand does not cover the full contract. The Ministry is represented by Deputy Solicitor General Nigel Hawke and Crown Counsel in the SolGen’s office Marcia Mohabir.