Thousands of learners are without textbooks in Mpumalanga
24 October 2018
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga, accompanied by DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, Nomsa Marchesi MP, has today lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over the severe shortage of textbooks in Mpumalanga schools.
In its annual report for the 2017/18 financial year, the provincial Department of Education stated that 63% of learners had been provided with the required textbooks in all grades and in all subjects during this period.
The Auditor-General (A-G) however found this to be false because only 31.26% of learners had been provided with the required textbooks. This means that 68.74% or 679 837 learners in Mpumalanga did not have all the required textbooks in the 2017/18 financial year.
By not ensuring that every single learner in Mpumalanga has enough textbooks, education MEC, Sibusiso Malaza is violating thousands of learners’ right to education as this basic human right goes hand in hand with the provision of textbooks.