‘Nothing sinister’ about undelivered textbooks
"It is normal to keep books in a warehouse" - national basic education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga's response
POLOKWANE – “It is normal to keep books in a warehouse.”
This was national basic education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga’s response to a scathing press statement issued by DA Limpopo leader, Jacques Smalle, last week, following an oversight visit to the education department’s warehouse in Seshego.
“Keeping books in the warehouse ensures that, when schools report shortages, the department is able to respond quickly and to deliver,” Mhlanga further explained in a press statement. He added that storage in this manner was a pre-emptive measure and nothing sinister.
According to Smalle, he was at refused entrance to the warehouse at first and had to make some calls to high-ranking officials before he was allowed access. He said he found thousands of textbooks and workbooks piled up in the warehouse.
“We demand that acting education MEC, Jerry Ndou, establish an urgent plan to distribute these textbooks and workbooks,” Smalle said.
Education spokesperson Paena Galane said the only reason the books were still in the warehouse was that they could only be distributed now.
“Schools were given until the end of January to send the final numbers of learners, as figures did change due to learners moving to other schools or being placed in certain schools by the department. Now that we have the final figures, books will be delivered.”
Referring to the books in the warehouse as “mop-up books”, Galane said they would be delivered soon.
Review spoke to several primary- and secondary school principals in and around the city.
Many schools outside the city had had minor problems around the delivery of too few textbooks, but these had all been resolved.
Principals of schools in the city said they also experienced a few shortages, due to the reasons stated by Galane, but had been in constant contact with the department and were expecting delivery shortly. Many principals said they had made their own transport arrangements to collect textbooks from the warehouse where needed.
Thousands of undistributed textbooks in warehouse
Silence over textbooks: schools fear retribution
