A press briefing held in Johannesburg on Thursday became a platform through which non-governmental organisation Section 27, two parents and Solly Tshitangano, the dismissed former chief financial officer in the Limpopo department of education, challenged the department to come clean about textbook shortages in Limpopo.
"What we’re saying is that our schools are in crisis and the department is not taking responsibility," Solanga Milambo, a parent from Giyani in Limpopo told reporters.
Section 27 is taking the basic education department to the North Gauteng High Court for the second time in four months over non-delivery of textbooks.
In May it won a court order that compelled the department to deliver all textbooks for learners in grades R to three and grade 10, which started a new CAPS curriculum this year. But Section27 argued in court papers that some schools are still without the textbooks, eight months after the current schooling year started.
The basic education department has maintained it delivered the textbooks in June, following judge Jody Kollapen's court order. It has indicated it would oppose Section27's court application.
Milambo said: "What the department is saying is green lies. You can't say you have delivered while you only delivered 10 books and [delivered] wrong titles. I can go with them to schools I've been to and show them what they are saying is not true."
In addition, the order should direct the minister to complete delivery of all textbooks for all grades for 2013 by January 9; provide monthly reports to court on procurement and delivery of those textbooks; and also compel the department to submit to the court a curriculum catch-up plan that will continue in 2013.
Friday, 14 September 2012
Darul Ihsan Media Desk