EC education department ordered to address furniture crisis.

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 The Eastern Cape High Court in Mthatha has ordered the Minister of Basic Education and the national and provincial Departments of Basic Education, to promptly address the furniture crisis plaguing the province's public schools within 90 days.

The court rejected the government’s budgetary defence on Thursday that there were insufficient funds to provide every learner in the province with a desk and a chair, and re-emphasised the immediate nature of the learners’ constitutional right to basic education.

The court also rejected the government’s submissions that they could not budget until they were completely certain of the exact extent of the furniture needed.

After almost two years of litigation, and two largely ignored court orders granted by agreement between the parties, hundreds of thousands of learners in the Eastern Cape now have tangible hope that they will receive much needed school furniture.

The Independent Development Trust has been ordered to finalise an audit of school furniture needs in the province by next week Friday.