The Department of Education says it is aware of schools forcing parents to buy extra stationery to top up on the departmentally issued Learning and Teaching Support (LTSM) Packs.
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The stationery allocated to schools is within the nationally prescribed norms and standards as set by the Department of Basic Education and is enough to cater for all subjects offered at No Fee Schools around in the province.
To this end, all No Fee Schools’ Principals are therefore advised to utilise the departmentally allocated stationery. In a statement released by the department, it states that there must be no instance where financial pressure is put on parents and learners to buy extra stationery.
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“The allocated stationery is enough to cater for all educational needs as advised by curriculum experts and schools are advised not to punish or disadvantage parents and learners in this regard but to co-operate.
Equally, principals must make it their obligation to ensure that the allocated LTSM is given to all learners. This means that at no stage must stationery be withheld from learners,” reads the statement.
