Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube has suspended the new national catalogue for foundation phase learning materials, announcing that the existing catalogue of previously approved resources will remain available to provinces and schools for the 2027 school year.
The decision comes after controversy erupted over the awarding of a tender to Lighthouse Publishers, a company that was established only days before receiving the contract to supply most books for the catalogue. The award came at the expense of established and experienced publishers.
“My first responsibility is to protect our learners and to ensure that schools are ready for the 2027 academic year. I will not allow uncertainty around a procurement process to lead to uncertainty in our classrooms,” Gwarube said in a departmental press statement.
The decision was made in the best interest of South Africa’s education system and its 13,7 million learners.
“The investigation has highlighted substantial problems that cannot be ignored. At the same time, millions of children’s education cannot be held up whilst these findings are addressed. We can and must do both: protect the integrity of the process and ensure that schools have the materials they need,” the minister said.
According to the statement, Gwarube made it clear that the integrity of the education system and the interests of learners remain the highest priority.
Although the tender controversy has not yet been fully resolved, the department will work with provinces and other stakeholders to protect ordering and distribution timelines.
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