Education Department is 'non-compliant'

THE department of basic education has no regard for the law. This was the declaration yesterday by a Pretoria high court judge.

This after human rights organisation Section 27 again took the department to court on Tuesday for failing to deliver all books for Limpopo pupils.

Section 27 believes that more than 70,000 books have not yet been delivered and wanted the court to declare the department non-compliant.

Judge Jody Kollapen said the department had failed to comply with the court's orders granted in May and July to deliver all the textbooks by June and devise a catch-up plan.

Kollapen ordered the department to complete all outstanding deliveries for the current school year by October 12 and report to the court by October 17.

The department was again ordered to report on this month's catch-up camps.

Kollapen also ordered the department to deliver all textbooks for Grades 4, 5, 6 and 11 for the 2013 year to schools by December 15. It is to report to the court on this on October 31 and December 15.

"It is a judgment that will help to resolve the textbook crisis in Limpopo. T he judge could have gone further and ordered an independent verification of delivery given the repeated failure by the department and their dishonesty at times," said Section 27's Mark Heywood.

The department's spokespeople could not be reached yesterday, but on Tuesday spokeswoman Hope Mokgatlhe said they could not concede non-compliance because they have "done a job in a few weeks that would normally take months."