Question NW1011 to the Minister of Basic Education
24 March 2025 - NW1011
Cuthbert, Mr MJ to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1) Whether she has been informed about the allegations that (a) Unity Secondary School, a no‑fee school in Daveyton, Gauteng, has a significant shortage of textbooks, despite the school having been allocated funding to purchase them, and (b) learners are forced to buy their own stationery; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps has she taken in this regard; (2) whether she has found that the school has the required number of books as budgeted; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps have been taken to address the situation
Reply:
The Minister of Basic Education has not been directly informed of significant textbook and stationery shortages at Unity Secondary School in Daveyton, Gauteng.
While Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), together with some public schools with governing bodies that have been granted additional functions (i.e. Section 21 Schools), are responsible for the procurement of textbooks and stationery, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) is responsible for supporting PEDs and public schools in the provisioning of learning and teaching support materials (LTSM) in a number of ways. These are detailed below.
The DBE follows a Sector Plan as a blueprint for the procurement and delivery of LTSM. This Sector Plan is developed by the DBE to to support PEDs in developing and implementing provincial management plans for the procurement of LTSM for the following year. The Sector Plan details the activities and timeframes to be observed by PEDs when procuring LTSM.
The Sector Plan for the procurement and delivery of LTSM required for the 2025 school year can be summarised as follows:
o May – September 2024: Printing and delivery of state-owned textbooks
o April – November 2024: Establishment of District LTSM Management Teams
o April – September 2024: Budget distribution to Section 21 Schools by PEDs
o April – May 2024: Completion of school requisitions
o July 2024: Delivery of LTSM to warehouses
o August – October 2024: Delivery of LTSM to public schools
o September – November 2024: Mop-ups to address shortages
The DBE has advised that, by the end of September 2024, all PEDs had undertaken LTSM procurement.
Textbooks
Since 2011, the DBE has ensured that a National Catalogue of approved textbooks for use in public schools is in place. The DBE ensures that this National Catalogue is in place early in a school year to allow PEDs and in some cases public schools to order and obtain the textbooks they require before the start of the proceeding school year.
This National Catalogue is developed and must be rigorously evaluated and updated periodically by the DBE with education experts to ensure that learners across South Africa receive equitable access to high-quality, up-to-date, age-appropriate learning materials. This is critical for supporting the delivery of the curriculum.
Currently, the focus of procurement by PEDs and public schools is on “top-up” textbooks needed due to increases in learner numbers, as well as replacing lost or damaged textbooks.
The DBE closely monitors the delivery process through weekly meetings with all provinces, during which progress on textbook distribution to warehouses and public schools is reported. This proactive approach ensures that all required textbooks are in place for the start of the school year.
The DBE acknowledges the delays experienced by some schools in the 2024 academic year, particularly those in no-fee schools where parents had to cover the costs of missing materials. Efforts are being made to address these delays and ensure that no school faces such issues again. The DBE is committed to working with PEDs to ensure that all public schools are provided with the necessary resources well in advance of the 2025 school year to support uninterrupted learning.
The Gauteng Department of Education has its own Provincial Management Plan for the procurement of LTSM for its public schools, including Unity Secondary School. The specific details regarding the shortage of textbooks and stationery at Unity Secondary School should therefore be obtained directly from the Gauteng Department of Education. They can provide more detailed information on their local procurement processes, any challenges they encountered and the steps taken to address the shortage of textbooks and stationery.
In line with the above, the questions relating to Unity Secondary School fall under the executive authority of the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in Gauteng. The Honourable Member is kindly requested to refer the questions to the MEC for Education in Gauteng, as per section 92(3)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and Rule 134(5)(b) of the National Assembly Rules.