Problems in the provincial education departments that resulted in some schools not receiving textbooks in the first five months of the school year were “an absolute disgrace”, the DA said on Sunday.
Democratic Alliance basic education spokeswoman Annette Lovemore said she would ask Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga questions about this in Parliament.
“Minister Motshekga must take full responsibility for ensuring that teachers and learners are equipped with the necessary resources...,” she said.
Three areas in the Free State had received no books, while schools in Limpopo had received the wrong text books.
“In KwaZulu-Natal, poor schools without textbooks are having to spend thousands on photocopying books for learners,” Lovemore said.
The Sunday Times reported that three tons of textbooks had been dumped at a recycling plant in the Eastern Cape.
While some of these were based on the old curriculum, they included books still in use and those for next year.
Lovemore said financial and administrative problems with provincial departments were to blame for the loss of teaching time which resulted from the shortage of books.
“If we are to build a future in which all children have access to the opportunities they deserve to live lives they value, every hour spent in the classroom must be used effectively,” she said. - Sapa