Apple’s South African distributor Core Group has given notice that the iPad will soon see a locally-produced school textbook app available on the device, called ZABooks.

Core did not provide any website details for ZABooks, saying only that it will become available before the end of January 2013 and listing some of the features that can be expected from the app. It will be separate from iBooks and is being developed with “key local education textbook publishers.”

At launch the app is expected to have 400 textbooks available pertaining to the South African education curriculum, with more being added following ZABooks’ release. It will cover both private and public schools and will cover Grades 1 through 12.

While the app itself will be free, the pricing for the individual textbooks will be determined by the textbook publishers concerned. This article will be updated with more information as it is learned.