Department slams move by Section27 on Limpopo textbooks

18 Apr 2013

The Department of Basic Education finds the move by Section27 on the matter of the Limpopo textbooks unfortunate and opportunistic. Section27 has compiled a list of schools which are alleged to have shortages of textbooks. The NGO further accuses the department of breaching a court order.

The efforts of the department when it comes to delivering CAPS-aligned textbooks are well-recorded. Information at our disposal indicates that all schools in Limpopo have received texbooks. Shortages were reported and investigated only to find that in most of the schools there were more learners that had registered late resulting in shortages of learning material.

"We then issued a circular and called upon all the school principals, districts directors and managers to report any shortages. We even provided a template for that in order to assist in compiling reliable data that could be used to remedy the situation faster. What we see now is Section27 duplicating that process and claiming that we are in contravention of a court order, when we are busy fixing the situation," said Panyaza Lesufi, Education department spokesperson. 

The Department urges Section27 to wait for or even assist the Human Rights Commission to investigate the matter around the delivery of textbook and not to conduct a parallel process that confuses the public.

Lesufi says the department is working systematically to remedy the situation of textbook shortages in Limpopo. "We had unreliable data which resulted in shortages and not that we intended to make incomplete deliveries because that does not benefit anybody. Our administrator in Limpopo is working hard to resolve all the challenges that we face in that province and progress has been made," said Lesufi.

Lesufi says some of the schools mentioned by Section27 had not yet reported the shortages to the Department but were willing to give the NGO information.

"School principals who do not report to the department are delaying the process. It is better to report to the department and not an NGO because that does not help," he said.

Statement issued by the Department of Basic Education, April 18 2013

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