Lack of funding postpones Limpopo exams: report

Chaos reigns in Limpopo schools after mid-year examinations were postponed due to a lack of funds, it was reported on Thursday.

Many of the province's schools were in such dire financial straits that they could not afford to print exam papers, said Beeld.

The problem was directly linked to the fact that schools did not receive their bi-annual subsidies, which were supposed to have been paid by May 15.

Headmasters were notified by SMS on Monday that the exams had been suspended until further notice.

Democratic Alliance spokeswoman Annette Lovemore, said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and her department had left the province's pupils in the lurch for the umpteenth time.

The national department had earlier taken over the administration of education in the province.

The provincial education department still had a budget deficit of R1.4 billion, Lovemore said.

Schools were told they would get new timetables on Friday, with which they would have to comply.

Although only grades 10 to 12 were scheduled to write the joint exams, all other grades in primary and secondary schools were also affected, as they were also supposed to write exams.

National education spokesman Panyaza Lesufi, said the problem was beyond the department's control, as the National Treasury had changed from one payment system to another and switched banks, and this had caused the delay in payments to schools.

"It is not true that we have no money. We are doing those money transfers one by one," he said.