EC Education department asks for more time to deliver school furniture..

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The Eastern Cape Education Department will be seeking a four month extension on the court determined deadline for it to deliver furniture to all schools in the Eastern Cape.

That's according to the Grahamstown-based Legal Resources Centre, which indicated that it may oppose the Department's application.

The LRC said in a statement today that the deadline set by Mthatha High Court judge, Glen Goosen, was the 31st of May for the provincial and national departments to deliver all the furniture needed by public schools in the Eastern Cape.

Its says hundreds of thousands of units of furniture are needed to satisfy the shortages recorded in a court ordered audit, completed by the Independent Development Trust.

LRC attorney, Cameron McConachie, says the Goosen judgment specifically stated that the department cannot avoid its constitutional obligations by citing budgetary constraints.

He says it is clear from the application that the department has failed to budget adequately to provide furniture to all learners, despite being aware for more than three years that at least R300 million is needed to fulfil this obligation.

"There is also some uncertainty, because the National Treasury has taken over the procurement function of the Department of Education. That really seems to have given the Department in the EC a way out, so they are now abdicating all responsibility, saying that their hands are tied. They cannot act inappropriately and unlawfully and then turn around and say it is someone else's responsibility" he said.

Meanwhile the Eastern Cape Education Department says it will reserve comment on the ongoing legal battle to provide all schools in the province with furniture.

Bhisho Education Department spokesperson, Loyiso Pulumani, confirmed that they have lodged an application in the Mthatha High Court.