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| Basic Education minister, Angie Motshekga. The Times |
What came to your mind when you first heard of the Limpopo textbook situation? Is it sabotage or just the government neglecting education, one of the most essential things of life? Well I think the Limpopo provincial government is blame in this whole situation. If they were so much concerned about the future of their province they would have challenged the issue a long time ago, not when the first two terms have passed and everybody is planning towards the next coming year.
I fail to understand why South Africa is called a democratic country, while we are still struggling to provide simple books for learning for schools. Why when books are supposed to be delivered to the respective schools; someone just decides to dump the books in a veld? This for me is purely sabotage and it is clearly intended to the government. Not that I’m playing the government’s advocate but, I’m purely saying that there is something not going well with this issue and, hence the Limpopo officials have answers to this.
It is said that the company responsible for delivering the textbooks, EduSolutions distanced itself from the whole Limpopo textbook solution. Limpopo is the only province right now struggling with textbooks yet other provinces are doing fine and going well; therefore I strongly say that this could be some kind of vendetta or sabotage if I must say. Looking at the EduSolutions website, the company indicates that it has successfully managed the entire supply chain for public schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng since 2002 This statement for is contradictory to what has occurred to the two months ago at Limpopo, definitely.
My communication angle is that there some lack of communication between the department of education and the Limpopo province. If there was any vivid communication the two, then they would have sat down to discuss the future of the learners that is at stake, some of which are doing their final year in matric. According to public relations organisations should work hand-in-hand at all times even when in times of crisis. The following are 10 crisis management steps by Jonathan Bernstein
· Identify Your Crisis Communications Team
· Identify Spokespersons
· Spokesperson Training
· Establish Notification Systems
· Identify and Know Your Stakeholders
· Anticipate Crises
· Develop Holding Statements
· Assess the Crisis Situation
· Identify Key Messages
· Riding Out the Storm
In concluding I would like to stress the fact that our government should find a way of solving this problem particularly the Limpopo provincial government. Communication is the key solution, to every problem or crisis and therefore I think that our government should thoroughly implement better ways of making the South African education a better one.
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| Textbook thrown in a veld at Limpopo, 30 June 2011. Eye Witness News |
it is wrong for the minister to be looking at who is to be blamed rather than just focusing to he students who are surfering as you specified in the blog that they have successfully been delivering books to student i think it mih be a sabotage for the department of education
ReplyDeleteYes Grace hence I said the blame game won't help because now costing the students a whole lot of things. But my worry is that why did'nt they report on the incident ealier? Thats what worries me a lot.
DeleteIt matters not if it's a crisis or sabotage - what matters is that somewhere the national DOE didn't do the right thing! Now children are suffering, I just hope the catch-up programme will be helpful.
ReplyDeleteOkay Nic u have have a point and I also hope that it will help. I mean trully speaking this is a disadvantage.
DeleteI think that it is the government abandoning as usual, because it is their responsibility to make a follow up to make sure that all the books were delivered and all the school have books.
ReplyDeleteBut there are so many issues to tackle and the government has placed people to oversee things when the officials are not around and I believe thats why Minister Angie Motshekga was so disappointed with the way Limpopo provincial government did thing regarding the textbook saga.
DeletePart of the report say that the books were not ordered for the 2012 academic year because there was no money. The provincial government spent the 2011 and 2012 budget when they purchased books for 2011. When the national government took over in January 2012, they would have known that the books have not been ordered. The provincial government should account for spending a budget for two years in one year. The national government should account for not attending to the matter early enough.
ReplyDeleteWow well said. The Limpopo province really has been negligent towards it's spending and the textbook issue falls exactly in their financial difficulties.
Deletei was shocked by her appology just the ather day when i was listening to the news on radio when she said. "does the country expect mre to be on my knees forever?, im not going to do that", i found that really insincere she had no remores nun whts so ever.
ReplyDeleteOkay wow! But Motso don't you think that we as the country and the state have put so much pressure on her that this thing made her feel pre-occupied and stressed? This thing for me was planned and its a scheme to somehow sabotage the government deliberately.
Deleteyou know i fsil to undestand why is every problem in this situation is to be blamed to angie... is'nt our profession that we need to work together like imc? what i am saying is angie is nt the only one to be blamed, beside her role in this proffesion is to set up policies, not manage the transport or people who failed to deliver this text books.
ReplyDeleteMy point exaclty I mean official from Limpopo are supposed to be overseeing things and this could have been avoided, if rightful measures were taken and implemented. If they knew how to treat a crisis then everything would have went accordingly.
Deletethe only way that the government can do now is to FIRE Basic Education minister, then the damaged image of the department can be re newd again.We need a new broom to sweep clean Angie's mistakes.
ReplyDeleteLOL! No Lucky they should'nt do that, Minister Angie has really managed to turn things around and just this time something went wrong. She is really a good leader,I mean since she's been around matric results have improved massively. Lets look on the bright side of things.
DeleteThe first thing that come to my mind is that Angie is not to be blamed for all this acts of those people who cannot do their jobs.
ReplyDeleteYes true that Moimane, for me she did her job but her surbodinates failed to things orderly.
DeleteI believe that none of this would be happening if the minister actually did her job. It is her resposibility to make sure that everything in her department runs smoothly.
ReplyDeleteNo Michelle Minister Angie did her job, just that the Limpopo province didn't do was required of them so we should look on the bright side because she signed for the books but problem is that they did't deliver on time.
DeleteI blame the government as well as Angie Motshekga but I somewhat also believe that it is a sabotage, a direct attempt to ty and communicate to the public and government that government is failing to provide needs for the province of limpopo.Perhaps theres been further neglect that our government and Basic Education Mnister have been covering up.
ReplyDeleteOkay Mpho you have a point...but what do think the Minister and the government could be neglecting? For me the Limpopo province is hiding something from us, I mean have heard Premier Cassel Mathale briefing the media about the crisis that has occured in the province that he is running? No. So Limpopo official are to be held accountable for this matter.
DeleteI am suprised at why Angie is being blamed or even recommended to be fired or suspended. Angie Motshekga is not be blamed but instead the whole governrnment. I do agree that the Limpopo municipality or provincial government is the one responsible for this saga, I mean Angie is like a principal hearding the teachers at a school, teachers also have responsibilities to make sue that the school runs smoothly.
ReplyDeleteYes thank you. Why is that Limpopo is the only province facing this problem? And I believe that this matter could have been long reported an as for blaming wow it won't solve anything at all.
Deletethe minster should think twice the next before she give her friend tenders to transport book if the is a next time
ReplyDeleteLOL! Okay Clive how do you know that she gave her friends the tender? I mean lets face the here Angie Motshekga is not a tender judge.
DeleteThis chaos must come to end. Angie Motshekga should never allow such things to never happen again. I think it would be best if they can order the textbooks early as possible so that pupils could not experience what they are now being exposed to.
ReplyDeleteOh well I say the LImpopo provincial government should somehow change their sysytem because this has caused a lot damage, and wow its costing the learners their lives.
DeleteWell we shouldn't be pointing fingures now. It was a chaos but now could someone fix it because there are future leaders and doctors who are still waiting for proper education.
ReplyDeleteYes Themba that is so true we cannot be pointing fingers because now I think this problem has affected a lot people.
Deleteim glad that angie motshekga has managed to treat this whole thing as a crisis...yes she knew last year that thier looming testbooks arount the country which i belive she managed to do something about it, with the limpopo textbooks saga it was beyond her control as the province was only put under gorvenment adminstration last year november...as we all know it is hard for to adapt to new enviroment...she has a recovery plan which i belive agin it will work
ReplyDeleteWow good thing you are saying...because that I think she believed that the textbooks were given to the schools but they were not. So I still say the problem is with the Limpopo province as a whole.
DeleteI agree with you that they should have addressed the issue as soon as it started. To me this just shows how negligent they are. They should just do something about it and make sure that it does not happen again!
ReplyDeletePrecisely, if the issue was addressed a bit earlier I doubt they would be facing such a controversial issue.
DeleteI really think people responsible for this crisis should be punished because they have now built a bad image for our country...and if the minister did her job, why didnt she do a follw up??
ReplyDeleteLOL. Isn't that when you are given a task you have to report back and say how far you have done with your case? Minister Angie Motshekga, for me did her job; the problemmis with the people responsible for the circulation of textbooks around the different areas of Limpopo.
DeleteWhether it is a crisis or a sabotage it should be fixed because the students who need the textbooks are the one who r affected the most
ReplyDeleteThey tried to fix the problem but, people decided to throw the books at a veld...now what does it say about the officials of the Limpopo province? Minister Angie Motshekga cannot be baby-sitting the Limpopo province when she can be doing other things.
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