The Legal Resource Centre says the Eastern Cape Education Department must work fast to ensure books are provided to all schools in the province.
The High Court in Makhanda has ruled in favour of the Non-Profit Organisation, Khula Development, in an urgent application to compel the Department to provide textbooks and stationery to schools before the end of this month.
The Department cited late payment to suppliers as the reason for the delays.
Legal Resource Centre Attorney, Cecile van Schalkwyk says books need to be delivered as quickly as possible.
“We were told yesterday in court that the department said they had about 80% of the books in warehouses and when we asked if there was an indication that there has been some movement on getting those books out to schools.
The real question is not can they do it, the answer to that is they must do it. The court has ordered them to do it and they must put in all the resources and effort to get it done as quickly as possible,” says Van Schalkwyk.
