The department is seeking legal advice after a Facebook post claimed an amount of R32 million was spent on a camp for 58 matriculants in Namakwa.
The Northern Cape Department of Education will seek legal advice, after persons claiming to be officials from the department, allegedly posted information on social media regarding the upcoming matric camps.
According to a Facebook post, an amount of R32 million was spent on the camp that would reportedly cater for 58 matriculants in Namakwa, where only one quotation was obtained.
Spokesperson for the Department of Education Geoffrey van der Merwe pointed out that the false allegations had brought a dark cloud over the planned interventions to save the academic school year.
“It has unnecessarily tarnished the image of the department as being corrupt. The devastating impact of the social media posts have caused huge damage and therefore leaves the department with no other choice but to seek legal advice on the matter.”
He believed that the information was “mischievous and misleading”.
“None of the arrangements have been finalised yet. To date, no order number has been issued or service providers appointed, yet individuals pronounce on the amount of money spent. It is a pity that some individuals would go to the extent of spreading false information, without having accurate facts.”
He stated that all efforts were focused on saving the academic school year, with specific emphasis on Grade 12 pupils.
“Pupils have lost valuable learning and teaching time for the better part of the year. The only solution we have, without compromising their future, is to incubate these learners for a period of three months until they write the national senior certificate examinations. These camps will function as normal schools where teaching, learning and assessments will be prioritised.”
Van der Merwe added that an investigation would be launched into where the information was obtained.
“As responsible citizens of our country, it is our responsibility to verify information that it is true and correct before publishing it in the public domain. “We will also investigate the source of this information as it is claimed to be ‘sources’ within the department. These officials will be subjected to all due disciplinary process and the appropriate action will be taken in this regard.”
He said that it was irresponsible to gamble with the future of pupils.
“We find ourselves in very difficult and uncertain times whilst our country and the province. In particular our education system is confronted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Let us work together to fight this global pandemic and do everything in our power to support our learners at home and at school.”
