KZN teacher unions warn schools not ready for January 14 reopening

Teacher unions are warning of chaos when schools reopen next week, pointing out that schools are not ready and that not all the Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) are in place to ensure a smooth start to the 2026 academic year.

The unions in KwaZulu-Natal stated that the schools have not received all their LTSM which were supposed to be delivered by last year. The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal revealed this week that it is working to ensure that some of the LTSM supplies are available to schools this week.

The education department is facing financial challenges, which have prompted an intervention by the provincial Treasury. This intervention dictates that the Treasury must approve the spending by the department of amounts above a certain threshold. Some observers have argued that the department has been hamstrung by this arrangement, leading to delays in the procurement of the LTSM on time.

There were complaints that a key supplier had not been paid and could miss the window to produce and deliver the LTSM supplies on time. However, others have stated that the Treasury arrangement is keeping the department afloat, as it cannot spend money it does not have.

In a statement on Monday, the department said that following a marathon MEC Management Meeting (MMM), it has resumed the immediate delivery of the remaining LTSM to schools. This decisive intervention, it said, is aimed at ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted start to the 2026 academic year, when schools reopen on Wednesday, 14 January 2026.

In that statement, KZN MEC for Education, Sipho Hlomuka, said, “As a department, we remain committed to ensuring stability, operational readiness, and effective service delivery across all public schools. We reassure parents, learners, educators, teacher unions, and stakeholders of a well-coordinated and successful start to the 2026 school year.”

However, teacher unions have remained sceptical, stating that the delivery is far from complete and unlikely to be finished when the schools reopen. Thirona Moodley, CEO of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), said the department is ill-prepared for the upcoming year.

“Unfortunately, schools will not be able to start work next week, as they have not received their LTSM allocation and have been unable to procure stationery. The last payment received was in June 2025. Principals are extremely concerned, as they have no means to manage the schools in the new year. Naptosa is concerned that the school year will be off to a bumpy start. Special schools are not sure whether they are in a position to open their doors to learners with outstanding payments for 2025.”

Nomarashiya Caluza, the provincial secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, said not all the schools have received their supplies. “Many schools are already panicking since they did not receive all the necessary materials, including the LTSM. The workforce is ready, but the environment has not been properly prepared; hence the panic about what’s going to happen come the 14th of January.”

A union official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the union has been receiving calls from frustrated and worried school principals.

“Some of the schools in the Zululand district have not received any LTSM, so the claims made by the department are inaccurate.”

“The situation is even worse for the Section 21 schools that procure their own LTSM. The money for this was supposed to be deposited in December, but that did not happen. Furthermore, each time the department makes an allocation to these schools, they fall short, which leaves the schools in arrears.

“Even if the department were to pay the money today, when will the principals be able to place their orders, and when will the items be delivered? There are many principals who are under pressure and are worried in light of what the department is claiming,” said the official.

DA spokesperson on Education, Sakhile Mngadi, said the department was not being honest about the delivery of LTSM.

“What we understand is that textbooks have not been procured and stationery has been procured but not entirely delivered. We also know that the department has a delivery delay because the textbooks and stationery were not procured at the same time, which has inflated costs and will affect the delivery. By the 14th of January, that delivery would not have occurred, both in terms of the stationery and textbooks. It does not look like delivery has happened everywhere, and not even close to being the majority. We don’t expect it to have been completed by the 14th of January," Mngadi said.

Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the department was working to ensure everything was in place by the time schools reopen.

Asked about the Section 21 schools that procure their own supplies, he said they are engaging with the principals of those schools.

THE MERCURY