IFP not surprised by SAHRC textbook findings

"As [a] party we expressed our concern over the pupils because it's simply that they are not given the best education under this department," IFP KwaZulu-Natal education spokeswoman Thembeni KaMadlopha-Mthethwa said in a statement.

 

"The department of basic education did not know what was happening in the provinces because its computer systems were not synchronised with those of the provincial departments and therefore could not track deliveries of books."

 

The department also did not know how many schools were in the provinces, how many pupils attended them, nor what language pupils were taught in, she said.

 

The SAHRC released its investigative report into the delivery of textbooks to schools in 2012 on Thursday.

 

The investigation took place after widespread media reports in 2012 indicated major shortcomings in textbook deliveries in Limpopo. The commission then conducted a preliminary assessment into whether schools in other provinces faced similar problems.

 

While the preliminary study showed other provinces beyond Limpopo also experienced problems, the data collected was not sufficient for the SAHRC to make a conclusive finding and recommend remedial action.

 

As such, the SAHRC constituted a national investigative hearing into the matter, which began in mid-2013 and ended early this year.

 

The investigation showed there were vast disparities in textbook deliveries between provinces.

 

KaMadlopha-Mthethwa said the department's lack of responsibility over the matter called for government to deploy new officials to the department.

 

-Sapa