Textbooks: The DBE is misleading South Africans

In a desperate attempt to underplay the textbook delivery problem in Limpopo, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) yesterday claimed that all schools had received all the  textbooks they needed.

This is not true. There are many schools in Limpopo that have not received the books they need.

We are aware of 47 schools that have not received all the books they need. The schools are from all over the province. They include high schools and primary schools. Almost all subjects and all grades are affected between the schools.

In most cases, the schools need 50-500 books each.

We have been informed by the schools that they are under severe pressure to not reveal their problems to the media and the public. We are therefore not able to make the list public, as principles fear losing their jobs by going public with textbook problems.

The DBE is doing everything in its power to conceal the true extent of the problem. Principals are being threatened and blatantly false statements are being released to the media.

The fact is that there are a large number of schools that have not received all the books they need. The DBE is refusing to acknowledge this.

This week, we will start to take steps to resolve the problem. The DBE has failed to deliver the textbooks and have ignored all correspondence from us on this issue. So we will take matters into our own hands and start delivering the books ourselves.

Statement issued by Jacques Smalle, DA Limpopo Leader, April 1 2014

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