Thank you, Chairperson. Deputy Minister, thank you very much for your reply with regard to the plans that your department has put in place to halt the failure rate and the poor pass rate. I am also pleased to hear that you and the Minister worked on a fact-finding mission to the provinces, particularly at those schools where problems are at the highest level.
Now, I would like to know how the plans you have made impact on and embrace the problem we have in Mpumalanga? As we all know, we are entering the mid- year exams and the schools are closing in nine days' time. How will these plans solve the problem of matriculants who still do not have textbooks in Mpumalanga because the department is failing to pay the supplier of the school books, despite the fact that they are now writing mid-year exams? This is a big problem for us. I would like to hear your answer.