Dear Minister Motshekga: If you want to decolonise education, start by supporting local publishers.
Data suggests that more than 70% of the textbooks purchased by public schools are from a handful of companies with overseas ownership. This leaves very little opportunity for local companies to compete for state resources. The Ministerial Task Team recently released a report on promoting diversity in textbooks. The task team sampled the best-selling and third best-selling textbooks in a range of subjects.
In my opinion, it is therefore unfortunate that the international firms enjoy a dominant position in the market and that some of the profits they generate eventually trickle back to the countries from which they originate. Schools generally do not know to whether the textbooks they are buying are from local or international companies; and
Minister Motshekga mentioned that her department intends to decolonise basic education through the promotion of African languages in schools and by introducing a new South African and African History curriculum. The minister also indicated the importance of promoting reading in schools and creating a solid platform in the Early Childhood Development phase. The minister touched on her department’s desire to strengthen partnerships with stakeholders, including the private sector.
Prepare for an update to the national textbook catalogue so that all interested companies are given an opportunity to submit new core textbooks for screening. The new textbooks must be screened to ensure that they are in line with any curriculum amendments, that they incorporate 21st-century skills and that they include greater diversity;