Ministry of Education speaks on controversial science in Ndebele textbook

Speaking to The Chronicle, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said that schools should return a Grade One science textbook in isiNdebele which has grammatical and spelling mistakes.

The book titled Step In, Environmental Science, Grade 1 Learners Book, which was co-authored by Blessing Chabikwa, Luigina Shaw and David Witt, wrongly spells indlebe (ear) by putting it as indleve while ikhanda (head) is written as amakhanda. Said Utete-Masango:

I’ve not seen the book myself but you are not the first one to phone concerning that book. If it’s a consignment with errors, the books must be returned to suppliers. The schools that bought those books should return them.

She said the Ministry’s Curriculum Development Department headed by Mrs Tumisang Thabela, who was appointed recently, should in future work to prevent such mistakes.

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