From catalogue to classroom: The real test is delivery

The first time Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) really caught the attention of the media and public in a way they had not before was in 2012.

Despite the existence of national policies and guidelines, textbook provisioning had been characterised by poor and inconsistent access, with serious shortcomings in Limpopo. This culminated in court cases and the establishment of a Presidential Task Team to investigate what had gone wrong.

The task team identified many weaknesses, including poor communication and coordination between schools, provinces and the Department of Basic Education (DBE); inadequate monitoring and record-keeping of LTSM provisioning; and insufficient capacity to manage procurement and provisioning effectively.

The DBE accepted the recommendations and, from 2013 onwards, strengthened and standardised textbook provisioning across provinces. This included the development of a Sector Management Plan for the Procurement and Delivery of Textbooks, together with clearer reporting and monitoring arrangements.

During key delivery periods, the DBE receives regular written reports from provinces, with quarterly reporting continuing through the rest of the year.

The lesson we learnt was that central leadership matters throughout the process of getting materials to schools.

Developing a catalogue is only one part of this task; the DBE must also establish shared expectations for procurement, delivery and monitoring and provide the oversight needed to ensure that approved materials reach classrooms.

Around the same time, a national workbook initiative was introduced, providing DBE workbooks to learners in home language, English and maths in Grades R-9.

The initiative has been heralded internationally as one of the most ambitious and successful projects undertaken by government. This year, the DBE will provide more than 30.5 million workbooks to learners.

The lessons remain relevant today.

Over the past several months, questions have been raised about the legality, transparency and fairness of the process followed in developing the new 2026 Foundation Phase National Catalogue.

LTSMs are at the heart of teaching and learning. They also involve significant public expenditure and affect millions of children.

It is therefore right that the public expects the processes governing them to be credible, transparent and capable of withstanding scrutiny.

For this reason, the concerns surrounding the new catalogue were subjected to several layers of review, including an auditor-general process, an independent investigation and legal consideration by both internal legal services and external Senior Counsel. The processes found no fraud, no favouritism and no basis to cancel the catalogue.

This finding is important. But it does not mean that there is nothing to learn from the experience. Where the different reviews have identified weaknesses, these are being addressed and their recommendations will be incorporated into the way future catalogue processes are managed.

At the same time, we should not allow the scrutiny of the process to obscure why this particular catalogue matters.

The previous Foundation Phase catalogue has served the sector for many years. Since then, our knowledge of how children learn to read has developed considerably. The new catalogue brings together lessons and insights from years of research and improvement in the sector, including the revised Annual Teaching Plans, integrated systematic phonics programmes and the development of oral reading fluency benchmarks across languages.

It represents an important opportunity to bring the materials available in classrooms into closer alignment with what we now know about how children acquire foundational literacy skills.

The new catalogue also significantly strengthens the quantity and range of reading materials available in Foundation Phase classrooms. Teachers require structured and appropriate materials through which to teach reading, while learners need regular opportunities to engage with increasingly complex texts and practise the skills they are developing.

There is also an important financial consideration. The new catalogue is estimated to save taxpayers approximately R3 billion through coordinated procurement, larger order volumes and reduced marketing costs. Together, the efficiencies represent a significant gain, for the system and the country and that should not be overlooked.

But if there is one lesson that should stay with us from 2012, it is that having a catalogue is not enough. The real test is whether the right materials reach the right schools, in the right quantities and languages, when teachers and learners need them.

The immediate task is therefore to move from diagnosis and scrutiny to implementation. We are focusing on the work ahead; providing the leadership and oversight required to ensure that the 2026 Foundation Phase catalogue materials reach Foundation Phase teachers and learners by January 2027.

Having served as branch head responsible for curriculum during the reforms that followed the 2012 textbook crisis, I led the processes to overhaul and strengthen the LTSM system. The experience demonstrated that public confidence depends on credible processes and reliable delivery. The current Foundation Phase Catalogue process provides another opportunity to apply those lessons.

We welcome the broad public interest in learning and teaching support materials, given their importance to the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. As officials, our responsibility is to ensure that the processes through which these materials are developed, procured and delivered remain legitimate and credible and to strengthen them wherever necessary.

Ultimately, the success of the catalogue will be judged in classrooms. Our work must therefore extend beyond its approval to ensuring that quality materials reach schools and support effective teaching and learning.

That is how we turn the promise of this catalogue into better opportunities for every child to learn.

• Mweli is director-general of the Department of Basic Education