Delivery of learning and teaching support material delayed

The delivery of learner teacher material at schools should be finalised by the end of this month only.
Due to the termination of a contract deliveries to schools were delayed according to Naledzani Rasila, Head of Communications at the Department of Education. He apologised on Tuesday for the inconvenience caused by the late delivery of materials to schools and said a new contractor have been appointed.
“To date, significant work has been done in this regard and more than 1 000 schools have been covered, mainly in Vhembe and Capricorn,” a press release on the delivery of learner / teacher material issued on Tuesday stated.
“Much more work still has to be done in the other three districts of the province. The delay in the delivery of stationery is mainly due to the appointment of a new supplier following the expiry of a three year contract that supplied stationery to our schools,” Rasila said.
He said delivery of textbooks, in the form of top-ups, on the other hand, has been made to all the schools that submitted their orders in time. “However, mop-ups continue in schools that did not place their orders in time to ensure that teaching and learning go on unhindered. Schools and their management teams will be updated at all the time through their circuit offices and districts.”
Rasila said the department was monitoring the delivery of learner support material closely and would like to apologise to the school community for any inconvenience that might have been caused by this delay. “We are working around the clock to ensure that delivery is completed by the end of January,” he stated.
A media statement released one day earlier however stated that learning and teaching should start on the first day of the school year and delivery of stationery was expected to be completed before the end of this week.
Rasila advised schools that may have queries in terms of the delivery of stationery to call Messrs Maswanganyi on 082 803 1571 or Kekana on 083 639 6076.

Story: NELIE ERASMUS
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