Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has denied claims that the department of basic education will make condoms part of pupils' stationery requirements in 2020.

Lesufi said the widely circulated post, which he believes to be photoshopped, was fake news.

The post has the department's logo and the date and time the announcement was released with a Facebook “like” option beside it.

It read: “Due to [the] high rate of teenage pregnancy, condoms will be part of stationery in 2020.”

Taking to social media, Lesufi urged social media users to ignore it.

Lesufi also rubbished a suggestion that condoms at schools was a “good idea”.

“Knowledge is power,” he said.

Lesufi said a post about a grade 4 book teaching children about “making love” was also fake news.

“We don’t have such a textbook,” he said.