Govt. outsources textbooks, lottery printing citing costs
The Government has recently shifted a significant portion of public printing work to private companies, raising questions about cost-effectiveness, transparency, and the future role of the State Printing Corporation (SPC).
It has awarded 60 per cent of school textbook printing 25.49 million copies of 362 titles to 29 private firms, while SPC will handle the remaining 40 per cent.
The Education Ministry defended the move, stating that “state printing organisations do not offer market-competitive rates overstaffing and legacy incentive schemes increase costs, making private printing cheaper”.
The primary government organisations for printing services are the Department of Government Printing (responsible for official publications like the Sri Lanka Gazette), SPC (focused on commercial and institutional printing, such as textbooks and stationery) and the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (Lake House).
Financial figures show the private contracts cost Rs 3,491.47 million, averaging Rs 137 per copy. In comparison, SPC’s 2023 financial statements report Rs 7.47 billion in printing revenue and Rs 4.08 billion in production costs, though per-copy costs for textbooks are not publicly detailed.
The shift extends beyond textbooks. The Development Lotteries Board (DLB) has outsourced the printing of lottery tickets including Lagna Wasanawa, Ada Kotipathi, Super Ball, Shanida, and others to four private companies: Toppan Forms, DPJ Holdings, Grand Export, and Digiscan Secure Print Solutions. SPC, historically responsible for secure state printing, did not participate in these contracts.
The SPC, founded in 1968, has long been a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s national printing capacity, delivering textbooks, official forms, and secure documents. Critics argue that outsourcing both textbooks and lottery tickets could weaken the state’s capacity to manage large-scale or sensitive printing requirements. The corporation’s staff, numbering in the hundreds (over 900), face uncertainty amid reduced workloads.
While outsourcing may provide short-term savings, analysts highlight long-term strategic and social risks. Dependence on private suppliers could create vulnerabilities in delivery, pricing, and quality.
The lack of transparent cost comparisons and evaluation criteria for tender awards further complicates the picture.
Parents and students may benefit from timely access to textbooks, and the government may achieve immediate budget relief.
Yet, questions linger over whether these decisions are a pragmatic move toward efficiency or a step that risks turning the SPC into an underutilised “white elephant,” diminishing a key state capability in both educational and secure printing sectors.
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