While Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), together with some public schools with governing bodies that have been granted additional functions, are responsible for the procurement of textbooks and stationery, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) is responsible for supporting PEDs and public schools in the provisioning of learning and teaching support materials (LTSM) in a number of ways. These are detailed below.
Textbooks
Since 2011, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has ensured that a National Catalogue of approved textbooks for use in public schools is in place. The DBE ensures that this National Catalogue is in place early in a school year so as to allow Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) and in some cases public schools to order and obtain the textbooks they require before the start of the proceeding school year.
This National Catalogue is developed and must be rigorously evaluated and updated periodically by the DBE with education experts to ensure that learners across South Africa receive equitable access to high-quality, up-to-date, age-appropriate learning materials. This is critical for supporting the delivery of the curriculum.
Currently, the focus of procurement by PEDs and public schools is on “top-up” textbooks needed due to increases in learner numbers, as well as replacing lost or damaged textbooks.
To guide the procurement and delivery processes in respect of textbooks, the DBE has developed a comprehensive Sector Plan. This plan outlines key deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities for every level, from PEDs to education district offices and public schools. Regular meetings are held with provinces to assess readiness, and quarterly meetings are held with publishers, to ensure that orders are placed and processed according to the required timelines.
The DBE closely monitors the delivery process through weekly meetings with all provinces, during which progress on textbook distribution to warehouses and public schools is reported. Provinces have indicated that deliveries to warehouses, and in some cases directly to schools, are already underway. This proactive approach ensures that all required textbooks will be in place for the start of the 2025 school year.
The DBE acknowledges the delays experienced by some schools in the 2024 academic year, particularly those in no-fee schools where parents had to cover the costs of missing materials. Efforts are being made to address these delays and ensure that no school faces such issues again. The DBE is committed to working with PEDs to ensure that all public schools are provided with the necessary resources well in advance of the 2025 school year to support uninterrupted learning.
Workbooks
In addition to the LTSM provided at a provincial level, the DBE provides Grades R to 9 learners at public schools identified by PEDs with workbooks.
For the 2025 academic year, the DBE is providing the following workbooks to schools:
The delivery of workbooks to receiving public schools is done in advance to ensure that these schools have their consignment of workbooks at the start of the school year.
As of 30 November 2024, all identified public schools had received Volume 1 workbooks as per the orders received for use at the start of the 2025 academic year.
Delivery of Volume 2 workbooks, which is meant for use as from July to December, is currently at 69% delivery to all identified public schools. The DBE is monitoring the delivery of Volume 2 closely and is planning to complete this exercise by the end of January 2025.