NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 362
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 03/08/2012
(INTERNAL QUESTTION PAPER: 20/2012)
Mr M J R de Villiers (DA-WC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) What (a) procedures, (b) criteria and (c) processes are in place to monitor the delivery of (i)
textbooks and (ii) workbooks to ensure that their delivery occurs in time;
(2) Whether a date has been set by her department for suppliers to deliver the ordered (a)
textbooks and (b) workbooks to all schools; if not, why not, if so, (i) who is responsible for
the monitoring of deliveries in this regard at the (aa) national department and (bb) provincial
departments and (ii) what are the further relevant details;
(3) Whether her department has a system of reporting back after the monitoring has taken place;
if not, why not; if so, who are the responsible persons at the end of the reporting process in
the (a) national department and (b) provincial departments? CW467E
REPLY
(1) (i) (a) (b) (c) Textbooks
(a) The delivery of textbooks is a provincial competence.
(b) The delivery of textbooks is a provincial competence.
(c) The Basic Education Sector Plan for the Procurement and Delivery of textbooks is in place
and provinces were requested to align their plans with the national plan. The plan outlines
each phase with strict timeframes in the procurement and delivery value chain. The
department has monitoring plan in place which includes visits to provinces; regular reporting
on the plan by provinces and LTSM forum meetings where provinces present their progress
on the procurement and delivery of textbooks against their plans.
(1) (ii) Workbooks
Deliverables and outputs within specific timeframes are provided through a detailed project
planning process. Weekly project meetings are held with the service providers to monitor
progress. Officials of the DBE visit printing and distribution sites to check evidence of meeting
with timelines. The service provider is required to provide a schedule for the delivery to each
school to the DBE. This is forwarded to provincial and district officials to inform schools and
monitor delivery.
Communication was sent to schools together with delivery consignment to inform school
principals of the process to be followed. In addition inter provincial meetings are held with the
provincials LTSM officials in preparation of the workbooks delivery.
Designated officials are provided access to an online site on which proof of delivery for each
school is uploaded daily. A detail as well as graphic representations of delivery progress is
generated online. Visits are conducted to schools by national, provincial and district officials to
monitor deliveries in a selection of schools.
(2) (a) Textbooks
Yes 31 October – 15 November 2012 (i) (aa) officials from the Curriculum Branch; (bb) LTSM
Manager and Curriculum Managers at both provincial and district levels (ii) The sector has
management plans that indicate key activities with distinct time frames. It further outlines
responsibilities of each level. Site visits will also be made.
(2) (b) Workbooks
31 October – 15 November 2012 for Volume 1 workbooks and 28 February for Volume 2; (b) (i)
(aa) Branch Curriculum Policy, monitoring and Implementation (bb) LTSM Manager and
Curriculum Managers at both provincial and district levels (ii) officials are required to visit
schools and report on whether delivery has taken place and correctness of delivery. Desk Top
monitoring is also used to monitor.
(3) Textbooks and workbooks
Regular reporting to the system via (a) Senior Management Meetings; Minister’s Management
Meetings; Council of Education Ministers (CEM) meetings and Heads of Education Committee
(HEDCOM) meetings (a) National Directorate: LTSM Policy Development and Implementation
and Directorate: Enhancement of Programmes (b) Curriculum and LTSM Managers at
provincial and district level for both LTSM and workbooks.