Basic Education on LTSM provisioning framework to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) notes the concerted efforts by certain sections of society to call into question the integrity and transparency of the processes underpinning its textbook catalogue. The Department firmly rejects any insinuation of impropriety and reiterates that its catalogue development framework is founded on a rigorously controlled, anonymised screening process designed to ensure objectivity, fairness, and accountability at every stage. This blind screening methodology not only safeguards the integrity of decision making but also plays a critical role in fostering competitive pricing, thereby directly advancing the Department’s strategic objective of achieving more cost-effective and equitable procurement of learning and teaching support materials.

At the core of the Department’s catalogue development process is a multi-stage quality assurance system. All submitted materials are first subjected to a rigorous screening process in which non-curricular identifiers, including publisher and author details, are removed to ensure impartial evaluation based solely on curriculum alignment and pedagogical merit. Only materials that meet this stringent quality standards are considered for inclusion in the catalogue. Thereafter, pricing considerations are applied, with the three most cost-effective compliant titles selected. In instances where fewer than three submissions meet the required standards, the qualifying one or two titles are automatically included.

In the specific case of Tshivenda Home Language materials for Grades 1–3, only two submissions met the required quality and curriculum standards. As a result, price comparison at the point of selection was not applicable and a moot exercise. While concerns regarding the pricing of materials submitted by Fulu Publishers have been noted, it is important to clarify that such pricing was not determinative for catalogue inclusion and is being addressed through established catalogue processes.

The Department considers the pricing in question to be excessive and inconsistent with the intent of the catalogue framework, which is to ensure cost-effective access to quality learning materials.

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