The Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) Directorate convened a meeting at the DBE in Pretoria from 26 – 27 September 2024, in preparation for the procurement and delivery of LTSM for the 2025 academic year. The meeting was organised to assess the state of the procurement and delivery processes relating to textbooks, stationary, Braille materials and other forms of LTSM to accelerate progress where necessary.  

Mr Jabulani Ngcobo, Director of Inclusive Education, focused his presentation on special care schools, adding that out-of-school learners have inclusive challenges. “Every learner has the right to education and learners with special needs are no exception: I am glad that the Department is making progress in terms of strengthening Braille material for learners with special needs. The move to find services providers that offer high quality in Braille printing as discussed broadly in this meeting is welcomed”.

With reference to presentations rendered by LTSM provincial teams, it was clear that the majority of the PEDs were on the right track in terms of the provision of the LTSM for 2025. The forum agreed that the effective procurement and delivery of textbooks for 2025 is critical, saying that it will assist the Basic Education Sector in protecting children’s rights to quality education in South Africa. The Sector can only achieve its mandate by utilizing modern procurement solutions and exploring digital alternatives, producing high quality in their catalogues and managing costs throughout all nine provinces. As education evolves, LTSM plans on improving methods should be advanced to maximize access to learning resources by all learners, including learners with special needs.

The meeting was chaired by Mr Sifiso Sibiya, Director of LTSM, who tabled a presentation on the catalogue for Grades 1-3 to project LTSM provision for the 2025 School Calendar. “The catalogue is a higher quality upgrade to the previous one owing to proper preparation and better facilities. One of the key challenges in textbook procurement and delivery is staying updated with curriculum changes. Education authorities often revise the curriculum to keep pace with technological advancements, hence Coding and Robotics was introduced in the catalogue.  This includes the uploading of catalogues on the SA-SAMS database,” added Mr Sibiya.