The Eastern Cape Education Department says news that President Jacob Zuma had ordered the Special Investigating Unit to conduct a wide-ranging probe of the Department, is nothing new.
Spokesperson, Loyiso Pulumani, said they have been under investigation by the SIU since January.
On Wednesday, the Presidency announced that President Zuma had signed a proclamation for the SIU to investigate the Department for "serious maladministration" and the "improper or unlawful conduct by employees" among other terms of reference.
But, Pulumani said there's been an ongoing investigation based on a proclamation that expired at the end of March.
"It (the previous proclamation) came to and while there were still ongoing investigations within the Department of Education. So, it was therefore necessary for the SIU to request the president to extend the terms of the proclamation and therefore sign and a new proclamation to allow for the investigations to be continued and finalised."
However, the DA in the Eastern Cape welcomed the probe.
DA spokesperson on Education, Edmund van Vuuren said This Department has been under national administration since March 2011 but efforts to advance a turnaround strategy have been stifled at every turn by senior Eastern Cape officials and Sadtu. Consequently the national intervention has failed to render the Department functional.
"The Department was put under administration as a result of a collapse in the recruitment and appointment of teachers, provision of transport, procurement and delivery of Learner and Teacher Support Materials (LTSM), and development and provisioning of infrastructure," Van Vuuren said in a statement on Thursday.
"There were also problems with "ghost teachers" on the system, an inconsistent supply of teachers, some of whom were temporary, whilst new graduates were not getting employed. There were problems around payment and posts, including the need to rationalise principal and Head of Department posts and ensure essential subject teachers."
"Statistics South Africa had to be called to the province to determine the actual number of learners in the system when it became clear that principals were inflating the numbers in order to increase their own salaries," he added.
Van Vuuren said "the Eastern Cape also spends an average of R32, 497 million to build a school. Yet the average cost for the 16 Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) schools that are being built in the province is R20, 5 million - 60% less than the Eastern Cape's cost."
"The list of problems are extensive and is a reflection of deep systemic failure in the Department of Education in the Eastern Cape."
