The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is pleading with all learners that received tablets at the start of the year to return these devices in good condition when the year ends.
This is part of the GDE's campaign to retrieve school materials, including textbooks, so that other learners are afforded the same opportunity in the next academic year.
The tablets were issued to learners in line with the department's ICT strategy to ensure learners in the province are equipped with tools that will allow them to succeed in a rapidly digitising, tech-driven world.
The GDE is on a mission to provide every learner with a tablet, every teacher with a laptop, and every classroom with a smart board.
Last week, it was announced Gauteng education's ICT programme is on its way to impacting 80 000 classrooms and empowering one million learners across the province.
The GDE says the safe return of study material enables it to plan for 2018 so that when schools re-open for the new academic year, it is ready to commence with teaching and learning.
In addition, returning these devices will save taxpayers money, which can be redirected to other educational purposes rather than procurement, says the department.
"It is therefore vital that all textbooks and tablets be returned to schools after final exams, as this impacts on the achievement of access to quality education in South Africa as a whole.
"We also implore parents to play a pivotal role in reminding their children that withholding the department's learning material is tantamount to theft and they are likely to be prosecuted."
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