Due to a “patchy” delivery process, 70% of South Africa’s public schools are still without important workbooks–exercise books that the basic education department introduced to improve literacy and numeracy performance in various grades. A Gauteng district official called the workbooks a “magnificent intervention that is now being hampered by incompetence. Delivery is very patchy throughout the country.”
The basic education department admitted the delay in the delivery of the books, which should have reached schools by January 31. Said Granville Whittle, an executive in the department, ”All books will be delivered by February 13. In some provinces we have had massive flooding and significant damage to roads and other infrastructure.”
