A: PREAMBLE
The policy provides guidance to learners, parents and educators on the procedure for managing Learner and Teacher Support Material and textbooks.
This policy is informed by the following legal frameworks:
a. Section 6 of SASA.
b. Circular 0051/2013 (WCED)
c. Public finance management act (Act No 1. Of 1999)
B. PURPOSE OF THE POLICY
The policy ensures that every learner has the relevant textbooks and other relevant material to support the teaching and learning process. It also ensures sound control measures in the ordering, issuing and collecting of textbooks. It also explains the responsibilities of educators, parents and learners with regard to the textbooks.
C. LTSM COMMITTEE
1. The principal is the accountable officer for the management of LTSM at the school.
2. The committee consists of:
a. The principal
b. The Text Book Control Officer (TBCO)
c. An Assistant Text Book Control Officer
d. The co-ordinating grade heads.
This committee should report to relevant stakeholders, such as the School Governing Body (SGB), SMT and the WCED, and will be formally constituted and approved by the SGB. This will be done at the first governing body meeting of each year.
D. QUARTERLY SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT MONITORING (SIM) REPORT
1. The school principal will be required to report on textbooks and LTSM on a quarterly basis on the SIM.
2. The WCED will load appropriate questions – aligned to this circular, WCED policy, DBE Policy and other LTSM initiatives – for completion on the SIM on a quarterly basis.
3. The principal is the accountable officer for ensuring that responses to the questions in the SIM are an accurate representation of the LTSM situation at the school.
E. ROLES, FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. The principal is the accountable officer for the management of all LTSM resources at school level.
2. The LTSM committee manages LTSM at the school.
3. The disposal committee for LTSM (Principal, TBCO and the assisting Head of Department) approves disposal of textbooks and other LTSM.
4. The disposal committee must table all disposal requests with the SGB for approval.
5. All other books and LTSM resource materials, e.g. kits, issued by the WCED must be checked periodically to ensure that they are effectively used and safely stored. This is the responsibility of each subject area head and is monitored by the Head of Academics.
F. TEXTBOOK MANAGEMENT PLAN
1. Choosing of text books and other LTSM.
The choice of textbooks and other LTSM is the responsibility of the head of the subject, in consultation with the educators in the subject area. The choice of books is guided by the relevant CAPS documents for that subject.
2. Ordering of books
2.1 Books must be ordered from the approved WCED lists. Books not on the WCED lists must be approved by the Governing body.
2.2 The names of the text book needed for use in the following year must be communicated to the TBCO by the end of August of the previous year.
2.3 The projected number of learners in each subject per grade will be communicated to the TBCO by Mr A Ederies (Head of Department) by the end of August of the previous year.
2.4 The TBCO will check the stock of the books and place any necessary orders of new textbooks/ top ups by the end of September of the previous year. This is to ensure that every learner can have all the LTSM needed by the first academic day of the new year. The ordering of new LTSM must be accommodated in the relevant budget.
3. Receiving textbooks- responsibility of TBCO
3.1 The textbooks must be checked against the invoice.
3.2 The invoice must be signed and the original given to the bursars’ office.
3.3 Each textbook must receive a stamp on the inside cover.
3.4 A stock number must be assigned to each textbook.
3.5 The new stock must be recorded in the stock register.
4. Issuing, retention and retrieval of textbooks
4.1 The textbooks will be issued to learners who have returned (or paid for lost books) all the text books issued to them in the previous year. (This is not applicable to the new grade 8 intake and new learners to the school).
4.2 The learner as well as the parent should sign a receipt form on which the numbers and condition of the text books are also stated. This form is kept by the class teacher and a copy is given to the TBCO.
4.3 The learner must write their names and class in each textbook issued to them. The learners must cover all their text books with plastic. This is checked, initially by the class educator, and then intermittently by the subject educator.
4.4 At the end of each year all text books that were used by learners are handed in and the return of the book is recorded on the sheet provided by the TBCO for each learner by the class educator. This control sheet is completed and sent to the storage area with the returned text books. The TBCO cross checks the stock control against the textbooks.
4.5 If the text book gets lost or is damaged to the extent that it can no longer be used while in the possession of the learner, the cost of the text book is recovered from the parent. The cost is the replacement cost of the text book.
G. TEXT BOOK CONTROL SYSTEM
1. A record of text books must be administered by the TBCO. It should contain the following:
1.1 Number of books issued by title and grade
1.2 Number of books in storage
1.3 The total number of books in the school.
2. A record must be kept of text books received, lost and replaced.
3. The TBCO must submit a summary report to the LTSM committee and the SGB on the number of text books issued and the number returned for each grade and subject at the first GB meeting of each year for the previous year. The report should contain (amongst other information):
3.1 The percentage of textbooks returned by learners (retrieval rate).
3.2 A conclusion with recommendations to improve on the percentage of textbooks returned in the following year.
4. The retrieval rate calculated by the school must be captured on the 4th Quarter School Improvement Monitoring (SIM) instrument by the principal.
5 A copy of this summary must be kept in an LTSM file by the school principal and must be signed by the principal and SGB chairperson for record purposes.
H. DISPOSAL OF TEXTBOOKS
1. Out-dated and damaged textbooks will be disposed of on a yearly basis.
2. The disposal of any outdated or surplus textbooks or workbooks is subject to approval of the school’s LTSM committee, disposal committee, SGB, and the Circuit Manager. Before the books are referred to the parties listed above, it must first be ascertained if the district office or the DBE have any plans for collection or disposal of surplus books.
3. Full details and records of the disposal transactions must be kept for audit purposes.
4. In the event that books are donated to any organisation or school, detailed records must be kept indicating which books were donated and who approved the donation.
5. Permission will be requested to recycle textbooks in order to generate income for the school. Textbooks may not be disposed of by burning or dumping or utilising the services of companies who dispose of books in this manner.
I. IMPLEMENTATION AND REVIEW
This policy will be reviewed by the LTSM committee at the start of each year to ensure that it complies with any changing legislation. It will be workshopped with the educators at the start of each academic year. Each class educator will explain the procedures to their class at the start of each year.