Hundreds schools in the Eastern Cape had not receive any or most of their textbooks - parliamentary statement
(16 March 2005)It is a disturbing situation that in the third month of the year there are still schools and learners who cannot properly start with the school year due to the lack of these vital tools in the education process.
It is further worth noting that the primary victims of this administrative failure are children from areas where poverty is a serious problem. It is difficult to see how Government intends assisting these children to rise above their poverty, if their education is undermined by the absence of textbooks and learning materials.
To compound matters, this is not a new problem, but has happened repeatedly every year. Every year the same excuses are trotted out for this gross administrative failure and every year we are promised that the problem will be addressed before the next school year commences. It simply boggles the mind that a known problem with delivery cannot be sorted out once and for all, given that the Department has many months warning before the next school year starts.
Can the hon. Minister give this House an unequivocal guarantee that the next school year will start with every school in possession of all the required textbooks and learning materials?
