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WENDY MOTHATA|
THE Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Friday that hundreds of thousands of learners across the Eastern Cape are still without textbooks, despite a court interdict compelling the provincial Department of Basic Education to make sure that the books are delivered by the end of March.
Last month, Makhanda High Court in the Eastern Cape ordered the Eastern Cape Basic Education Department (ECDOE) to deliver textbooks and stationery to all public schools in the province by March 31.
In a statement, Shadow MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape Yusuf Cassim said: “Not even a court of law seems able to get the Education Department to fulfil its primary mandate of providing learners with their fundamental human right to access education.”
Cassim said that more than 4 000 schools are still waiting for the delivery of textbooks.
“As of 16 March, 4 932 schools were still awaiting delivery, and it was clear from the Department’s response that the books would not be delivered within the timeframe. On Wednesday, 30th of March, I joined an NCOP delegation visiting Mncwathi Senior Secondary School and Lundini Primary School in the Alfred Nzo East District. Both of these schools have still not received any deliveries of textbooks,” said Cassim.
Cassim added that textbooks have a five-year lifespan, which means the province is overdue in replacing all the books.
“What is even more concerning is that the failed deliveries are only for the top-up books ordered by schools. The last full complement of textbooks was ordered in 2016. These textbooks have a five-year lifespan, which means we are already overdue in replacing all the books,” Cassim said.
To fully replace all textbooks, it would cost the Department of Basic Education an estimated R2,5 billion.
“This has not been budgeted for in the current or upcoming financial years. This effectively means that the court order will not be complied with for the foreseeable future. With the drastic budget cuts enforced on schools, the top-up orders that have not been fulfilled would still not place a textbook for every subject into the hands of every learner.”
In response to a parliamentary question, Education MEC, Fundile Gade said that the number of textbooks in schools, per grade, as a percentage of the number required for every learner to have one per subject, the situation in the foundation, senior and FET phases remains dire.
* Inside Education