Pretoria - The Department of Basic Education says it has made great strides in delivering learner and teacher support material, and that it has implemented almost all the recommendations made by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
The department said it has advanced significantly since the commissioning of the SAHRC report by Parliament.
Since the publishing of the preliminary report over a year ago in April 2013, the department studied the report and began taking action.
The national department and its provincial offices have implemented many significant changes in its learner and teacher support material (LTSM) acquisition procedures.
“Most of the findings and recommendations in the report are already being implemented or form part of the department’s plans going forward.
“The challenges identified in the SACMEQ [Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality] III report released in 2007, indicating LTSM penetration at 45% nationally, were addressed extensively by DBE,” said the department.
In 2012, the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) took a decision that there must be one textbook per learner for every subject, and that must be achieved by the 2014/15 financial year.
By the end of the 2013/14 financial year, LTSM penetration had reached 99%. The department says it is confident it will meet this target.
In-migration challenges
Rural to urban migration, late or non-registration of learners by parents, parents who choose to move their children from one school to another or the relocation of families, among others, remains a challenge.
The department says this process of schools reporting learner statistics and LTSM shortages is followed up with ordering from publishers, printing and then delivery and distribution to schools. This process takes two to three months.
“However, teaching and learning can still take place and the schools will have the textbooks they ordered the previous year. This only applies to discrepancies between orders placed the previous year and the actual number of registered learners.
“DBE is working with the former Department of Communications (Telecommunications and Postal services) to ensure the speedy roll out of telecommunications infrastructure to all schools,” said department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
Seven of the nine provinces have aligned themselves to the sector plan as of 2013, which includes the central procurement of LTSM at a provincial level.
In those provinces, Section 21 schools have opted to be part of the provincial central procurement due to the savings made from purchasing at economies of scale.
The retrieval of textbooks (which should have a five-year life span) is also the responsibility of schools and district officials. – SAnews.gov.za
