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A nurse puts on PPE before caring for a Covid-19 patient.
Thomas Lohnes / Getty Images
- The Eastern Cape Department of Education does not have a budget to purchase personal protective equipment for its 5,037 public schools in 2021.
- With 26 days left for schools to reopen for the 2021 academic year, the department could not provide a clear answer on how they would buy PPE stock.
- The district attorney in the Eastern Cape said the financial crisis was caused by the department paying for overpriced PPE shares from selected suppliers.
The Eastern Cape Department of Education does not have a budget to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) for its 5,037 public schools in 2021, said the department’s general superintendent, Themba Kojana.
Kojana was responding to questions posed during a portfolio committee meeting on education in the Eastern Cape legislature on November 26.
News24 is in possession of the question and answer document.
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Kojana could not give a positive answer on where the money would come from to buy PPE shares by 2021.
“Due to budget cuts, the department unfortunately will not be able to replenish the next shipment, unless the department receives additional funding. [in] In this regard. The department did not receive funding to purchase PPE for the schools, but had to change priorities within its budget to purchase the first shipment of PPE, “said Kojana.
Democratic Alliance member of the legislature Yusuf Cassim said: “At this time, we are not sure how and with what money the department will acquire PPE for the new year.”
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Cassim said the financial crisis at the Department of Education was caused by the department awarding questionable tenders for PPE to “handpicked” companies.
Infrastructure
“The department did not receive money from the provincial treasury or the national treasury for PPE, and therefore was forced to use its infrastructure budget to make acquisitions last year. They did so through an expression of interest process. in which more than 4,000 suppliers expressed an interest in supplying and chose 207 of them and offered to pay large amounts per item.
“This is part of the cause of the department’s money problems. They paid up to five times the retail prices of certain items to these ‘middleman’ suppliers,” Cassim said.
When asked for a response, Eastern Cape Education Department spokesperson MEC Fundile Gade, Vuyiseka Mboxela, said: “The department will ensure that schools are safe when they open as it has been a strong vision of the sector that save lives and save[s] the academic year. Preparations are being made and will be communicated at the appropriate time to the schools and the people of the province in general. “
When asked to confirm reports that schools are expected to purchase PPE from their budget, Mboxela said: “The schools get budget from the provincial education office for everything they purchase in their schools. Last year, the acquisition of PPE was made through Districts [education offices] and the schools will be confirmed which modality will be done this year ”.
News24 reached out to the National Organization of Professional Professors of SA (Naptosa) for a comment, and it will be added upon receipt.
