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 â 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 â 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;
Ministerâs 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.