Textbook shortage causes Cape Town school’s exams to be postponed

More than 200 Maitland High students protested outside the WCED offices in the city centre demanding text books on Thursday. The day before they protested outside WCED offices in Koeberg.

The grade eight to 12 students claim that since January they have been complaining about textbook shortages and that the WCED promised to investigate the matter. However months later, the books have not been delivered. GroundUp understands that it is English and Xhosa textbooks that are in short supply. At the protest the students accused the WCED of only caring about maths and physics.

Tension brewed because, they claim, at the Wednesday protest a WCED official laughed at them. Only after hours of waiting did the WCED agree to send an official to the school to investigate. However, the official the WCED sent, according to the students, was the same person who laughed at them in Koeberg. Moreover she didn’t address their concerns. This prompted the students to protest at the WCED’s central office in town on Thursday. “We refused to listen to the same person who was making a joke of us when we went to their offices,” said a grade 12 learner.

Pupils said as they were waiting for an official to investigate the matter, they were surprised to come at school to find the same official who was laughing at them the previous day in Koeberg.

When the students arrived at the WCED offices in the city centre on Thursday, an official asked them if their classes were cold and why they were not at school. This caused further tension with the students claiming the man was disrespecting them and failing to listen to their grievances. “Just because they got a better education, now they look down on us. The reason we here is because we also demand better education. We believe our subjects are also important just like physics and maths,” said another grade 12 learner. “It’s clear this department does not care about us. Why are the officials making jokes of us?”

Vuyisa Mbayi of Equal Education said they are aware of the matter and will also investigate. He said someone must be held accountable for this. “These students have been raising this matter for months and they keep on getting empty promises.” he said.

Students left after police said they had no permit to protest outside the WCED offices.

WCED Director of Communication Paddy Attwell said, “Senior officials discussed the matter with the delegation of learners. The department and the school have agreed to postpone the upcoming exams.”

He said the department and school will work on a catch-up programme. “The school has seen considerable growth in enrolment this year and needed to up its supplies of text books,” he said.

Attwell added that the publisher has undertaken to deliver the textbooks needed as soon as possible.