Not every pupil in Eastern Cape will have a textbook next year because of shortages.

This comes amid speculation that the department is planning to print its own textbooks and sideline publishing houses.

Department of Basic Education (DBE) director-general Mweli Mathanzima lifted the lid on the possible shortages during a meeting with journalists at the the department's office in Pretoria yesterday .

Mathanzima was responding to questions relating to the progress made in improving systems in the provincial education department.

"There will be shortages next year," Mweli cautioned.

The department will not be entering into a new contract to deliver books because the delivery had been done in a three-year cycle.

"Only topping-up will be done this year. So it could happen that there will be shortages next year."

Sowetan's sister newspaper Daily Dispatch reported last week that schools had yet to receive their consignment of textbooks despite the fact that requisition forms were submitted to the provincial education department's headquarters in Zwelitsha.

Warren Kliphuis of the Publishers' Association of South Africa confirmed at the time that publishers had yet to enter into a contract with the department to deliver textbooks.

The Dispatch learned that the department did not have enough budget to buy textbooks for next year.

DBE chief director Suren Govender said the majority of provinces were not going to meet this month's deadline of providing textbooks to schools.