diff --git a/lib/deprecatedlib.php b/lib/deprecatedlib.php
index 9462e870b45..dec20d5c5b9 100644
--- a/lib/deprecatedlib.php
+++ b/lib/deprecatedlib.php
@@ -4021,3 +4021,19 @@ function moodle_strtolower($string, $encoding='') {
     //Use text services
     return textlib::strtolower($string, $encoding);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Original singleton helper function, please use static methods instead,
+ * ex: textlib::convert()
+ *
+ * @deprecated since Moodle 2.1 use textlib::xxxx() instead
+ * @see textlib
+ * @return textlib instance
+ */
+function textlib_get_instance() {
+
+    debugging('textlib_get_instance() is deprecated. Please use static calling textlib::functioname() instead.', DEBUG_DEVELOPER);
+
+    return new textlib();
+}
+
diff --git a/lib/simpletest/testtextlib.php b/lib/simpletest/testtextlib.php
index 2b86475b1d5..60306895d5d 100644
--- a/lib/simpletest/testtextlib.php
+++ b/lib/simpletest/testtextlib.php
@@ -275,6 +275,11 @@ class textlib_test extends UnitTestCase {
     }
 
     public function test_deprecated_textlib_get_instance() {
+        global $CFG;
+
+        $debugging = $CFG->debug;
+        $CFG->debug = DEBUG_NORMAL;
+
         $textlib = textlib_get_instance();
         $this->assertIdentical($textlib->substr('abc', 1, 1), 'b');
         $this->assertIdentical($textlib->strlen('abc'), 3);
@@ -285,6 +290,8 @@ class textlib_test extends UnitTestCase {
         $this->assertIdentical($textlib->strrpos('abcabc', 'a'), 3);
         $this->assertIdentical($textlib->specialtoascii('ábc'), 'abc');
         $this->assertIdentical($textlib->strtotitle('abc ABC'), 'Abc Abc');
+
+        $CFG->debug = $debugging;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/textlib.class.php b/lib/textlib.class.php
index 6403504e51b..9f95a489507 100644
--- a/lib/textlib.class.php
+++ b/lib/textlib.class.php
@@ -24,20 +24,6 @@
 
 defined('MOODLE_INTERNAL') || die();
 
-/**
- * Original singleton helper function, please use static methods instead,
- * ex: textlib::convert()
- *
- * @deprecated since Moodle 2.1 MDL-29027 textlib contains static functions
- * @todo MDL-31301 calling of textlib functions should be static.
- * @see textlib
- * @return textlib instance
- */
-function textlib_get_instance() {
-    return new textlib();
-}
-
-
 /**
  * defines string api's for manipulating strings
  *