Does the constitutionally guaranteed right of every South African child to a basic education include the right of pupils at public schools to be provided with textbooks for each subject in time for the start of the academic year? This was the question the Supreme Court of Appeal grappled with in its consideration of an appeal by the Department of Basic Education relating to its failure to provide textbooks to thousands of Limpopo pupils at the beginning of the 2014 academic year.The department has contravened several high court orders issued after the 2012 crisis in Limpopo in which hundreds of thousands of mainly poor, black and rural pupils were denied their textbooks due to bungling on an industrial scale.Significantly, pupils in other provinces received their textbooks on time.In its appeal, the department argued that, although the minister and her director-general were committed to providing textbooks for every child in every grade, "perfection is not the constitutional standard".In a judgment that will have far-reaching consequences for every public school in the country, the Supreme Court of Appeal disagreed, finding that the right of every child to be issued with the requisite books on time was not a ''lofty'' ideal.It said the department's management plan for Limpopo schools was ''inadequate'' and its logistics ability ''woeful''.Emphasising that basic education should be seen as a primary driver of transformation, the court warned against ''failing those who are most vulnerable''.Our education officials face massive problems in delivering quality education to millions of pupils, including crumbling infrastructure, the lack of quality teachers, vast inequalities and rapidly growing numbers of pupils who often move between schools.But yesterday's judgment makes it plain to all that the provision of textbooks on time to all schools must be achieved...