Toilet paper crisis hits Bay education offices

and Adrienne Carlisle

THE Nelson Mandela Bay education district offices are so broke that they are forcing staff to bring their own toilet paper to work. "And to add to their cash-flow problems, the department is without power due to an outstanding electricity bill of R11-million."

The toilet paper decision follows a circular being issued two weeks ago ordering all in the department to tighten their belts until the new financial year as officials had overspent on the R26.9-billion budget.

Meanwhile, the government and the Eastern Cape Education Department are scrambling to come up with R360-million after the Mthatha High Court yesterday ordered them to provide every public school in the province with adequate furniture before May 31. In an unprecedented move, Judge Glenn Goosen declared the government and the provincial and national education departments had breached Eastern Cape pupils' constitutional right to a basic education by consistently failing to provide them with adequate school furniture.