Question NW2446 to the Minister of Basic Education
29 July 2015 - NW2446
Van Der Walt, Ms D to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(a) When will her department’s 1 000 Libraries Campaign start, (b) until when will the specified campaign run, (c) what is the total cost of the specified campaign, (d) how will schools be prioritised, (e) which schools have been identified for the specified campaign and (f) how will these libraries be resourced with (i) books and (ii) staff?
Reply:
(a) The Department of Basic Education’s 1000 Libraries campaign started at the beginning of the current financial year.
(b) The campaign targets 1000 schools in 2019 and there will be at least 1000 additional libraries every year until 2019.
(c) The total cost of the campaign has not been determined yet.
(d) Because it is starting phase, softer criteria were used for 2015. The criteria that were used for the selection of the schools are as follows:
- There must be an existing structure;
- The structure must have minimal resources;
- The structure must be located within a functioning-school environment; and
However, the aim is to reach all schools which have no libraries.
(e) A total of 1 000 schools have been identified across the nine provinces.
(f) (i)Normal procurement procedures will be used and, in addition, donations will be received.
(ii)The Department of Basic Education is partnering with the ETDP SETA to place assistant school librarians in the identified schools. Staffing is going to be a major challenge.