7 January 2008
"Delivery of books and stationery on track"
Teaching and learning is set to start instantaneously on the first day of
school in KwaZulu-Natal as 99% of non-Section 21 schools will have their
textbooks and stationery on or before the first day of the 2009 school calendar
year.
When schools open on 21 January 2009, 3 122 non-Section 21 schools will have
their textbooks and stationery. This figure represents 99% of non-Sections in
the province. "We have already reached a 98,5% delivery of books for this
year," said the MEC for Education Mrs Ina Cronjé.
The outstanding 1,5% in respect of the delivery is due to publishers not
being able to deliver on orders that were placed with them. Some of these
orders were placed as early as 24 July 2008.
"The strides in the delivery of textbooks has moved from 40% in 2006; 80% in
2007; 95% in 2008 and 98,5% delivery for the 2009 academic year. The department
has indeed sustained the momentum in the delivery of LTSM and has surpassed its
own targets set," reiterated the MEC.
The provision of Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) is one of a
number of critical prerequisites in the provision of quality education to all.
The department's commitment to providing quality education is clearly visible
in its efforts and the strides made over the past four years to ensure that all
learners in non-Section 21 schools have their textbooks and stationery before
or on the first day of school.
There has also been a steady increase in LTSM budget allocation over the
last four years and additional funds have been allocated to selected grades in
an attempt to ensure that each learner will eventually have a textbook for each
Subject or Learning Area.
Schools with Section 21 status procure LTSM on their own, "A system is
however being developed that will assist the department to monitor and ensure
that all Section 21 schools have used the LTSM budget allocation appropriately
and have procured textbooks and stationery for all learners," said Cronjé.
Issued by: Department of Education, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial
Government
7 January 2008
