Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube has endorsed the controversial catalogue for grade 1 to 3 learning materials. Archive photo: Velani Ludidi
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Eastern Cape orders new R1.6-billion textbooks as Western Cape holds back

8 hours Anetta Mangxaba 18 Views

Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube has endorsed the controversial catalogue for grade 1 to 3 learning materials

By Velani LudidiNews | South Africa

  • The Eastern Cape began ordering grade 1 to 3 learning materials from the new R1.6-billion Foundation Phase National Catalogue, while the Western Cape is holding off until procurement concerns are resolved.
  • The textbooks and other materials are expected to be based on the latest research to improve literacy, in line with the National Literacy Strategy and Plan 2024 to 2030.
  • The new catalogue has been surrounded by controversy. It was suspended due to problems in the procurement process. But in September, the minister endorsed the catalogue, subject to legal defects that required fixing.

The Eastern Cape has started ordering grade 1 to 3 learning materials from the new R1.6-billion Foundation Phase National Catalogue ahead of the 2027 school year, while the Western Cape is holding off until procurement concerns are resolved.

The textbooks and other materials are expected to be based on the latest research to improve literacy in line with the National Literacy Strategy and Plan 2024–2030. More than 80% of grade 4 learners were found to be unable to read for meaning in any language in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.

“The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) confirms that it intends to procure grade 1 to 3 learning and teaching support materials from the new Foundation Phase National Catalogue,” said department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima. 

The Eastern Cape department acknowledged the “limited timeframe” and said it would prioritise procurement this week from the new catalogue, following months of uncertainty over the process.

After investigations into the tender process led to reviews and suspensions, the minister approved the new catalogue in late September but added that “lawful correction” still needs to take place.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) confirmed that procuring authorities – schools and provinces – were responsible for ensuring legal compliance.

This led the Western Cape to opt out of the new catalogue for 2027. “We are erring on the side of caution until these matters are sufficiently addressed and will continue with the plans we already had in place,” said Western Cape Education Department (WCED) MEC Jaco Londt.

The WCED has already provided teaching and learning support materials to all classes for the 2027 year and has expanded the pre-existing catalogue to include decodable graded readers, enabling schools to access reading materials through its Back on Track programme.

“In addition, the WCED has developed and co-created a range of reading resources that are already being used in schools and will continue to be available in 2027,” Londt said.

“These include department-developed and open-source reading materials that align with the department’s approved reading approach. All reading materials currently used by the WCED have been reviewed and screened to ensure alignment with curriculum and procurement requirements.”