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The Basic Education Department’s dismissal of the DA’s reports that schools are without workbooks in the Eastern Cape as “cheap politics” is a sign of disregard for every learner currently sitting in a classroom without a workbook.

We have written to Minister Angie Motshekga this morning requesting that the schools database for the PE district be made public.

Our inspection of the Port Elizabeth district warehouse last week found books in the incorrect language are being returned by schools in droves. Amongst them were Sesotho books for Xhosa learners and Xhosa books for Afrikaans learners.

The Department’s spokesperson, Panyaza Lesufi, is misleading the public by saying the problem is under control. The Eastern Cape Education Department’s officials and the MEC claimed in a legislature committee meeting on Friday that they actually do not know the extent of the workbook shortage problem.

However, we established from the district database that 25 370 literacy workbooks and 15 500 numeracy workbooks were still outstanding in the district as of last week. Clearly it is Mr Lesufi’s Department that is playing politics with the lives of Eastern Cape children.

As was the case in Limpopo, Minister Motshekga is failing the children of the Eastern Cape. Her Department failed in its obligation to send the right workbooks in the correct numbers to that province.

We demand that the Minister publish the database online for everyone to see. The names of schools and the books they need must only be removed from the list when a particular school has been fully serviced.

Parents, teachers and children have a right to know about the thousands of books yet to be delivered to EC schools for the third term, which started on 16 July.

We also reiterate our demand that all workbooks be delivered to schools without delay. Should the Minister fail to do this, we will pursue avenues to force her to do so.