The basic education department is lying about the state of textbooks delivery in Limpopo schools, the Congress of the People said on Tuesday.
“(Basic education spokesman) Panyaza Lesufi has lied to the public and we are calling on him to apologise and retract his statement,” Cope spokesman in the province Motlatjo Thetjeng said in a statement.
Thetjeng said a sizeable number of schools had not yet received textbooks.
On Monday, Lesufi told reporters in Pretoria there was no school that had not received textbooks in Limpopo.
“Most of the secondary schools in the province 1/8are 3/8 experienc 1/8ing 3/8 a shortage of textbooks in mathematics 1/8and 3/8 physical science, while most primary schools are without textbooks in English and technology education,” Thetjeng said.
On Tuesday, Lesufi denied the allegation and said the department would not retract its statement on textbooks delivery.
“The chairperson of the principals' association in Limpopo has accepted our statement that textbooks were delivered in Limpopo. We have given tangible proof to journalists of all delivery notes to schools,” he said.
The delivery of textbooks stood at 100 percent and the delivery of workbooks was at 97.8 percent.
During Monday's press conference, Lesufi called on the Democratic Alliance to apologise for discrediting the integrity of the basic education department and minister Angie Motshekga.
The party had claimed some schools had not yet received texbooks.
Lesufi said that at this time last year, no schools in Limpopo had received any books.
“We have made a drastic improvement,” he said. - Sapa