Publishers have attributed the delay to deliver new competency-based curriculum (CBC) textbooks to schools to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), even as they downplayed concerns over shortage of Grade 9 books in the market.
They, through the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA), said that revision and evaluation of textbooks after effecting changes suggested by the KICD had caused a delay in printing and distribution of the books.
Since 2018, the government has been procuring and supplying books to all public schools instead of giving them the cash to purchase the same.
The changes followed a recommendation by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER), that the KICD rationalises some learning areas.
The process involved a review of curriculum designs and combination of some learning areas to reduce the burden on learners and minimise duplication.
“Upon this rationalisation, KICD developed and issued revised curriculum designs to publishers. The institute further advised publishers to therefore develop and release rationalised books,” said Kiarie Kamau chairman Kenya Publishers Association.
Publishers developed the books, Mr Kamau explained, submitted them to the institute for evaluation, and the approved books are currently undergoing final corrections before they are released to the market.
Books for Grade 5 and 6 will be available by the end of January 2025 while for Grades 7 and 8 will be available by the end of February. He said, more than 80 percent of Grade 9 textbooks have already been delivered to schools, and the rest will be in schools this month.
Subjects affected are social studies, life skills education, integrated science, health education, pre-technical studies, business studies, computer studies, agriculture, home science, visual arts, performing arts, physical education and sports.
There has been an outcry by parents over lack of the rationalised books in the market. Some public schools have also not received the textbooks while bookshop owners who had stocked the old books now stare at massive losses since they cannot sell them.
Mr Kamau said the textbooks for Grade 9 learners are in the final stages of distribution to all public schools in the country, in line with the government policy of buying core textbooks to learners at the ratio of 1:1.
He said the government distribution programme covers only public schools, while learners in private schools are required to purchase the textbooks on their own. Mr Kamau said the books are available in bookshops, warning parents to desist from the allure of buying books from street vendors.
Furthermore, home science and agriculture was merged into agriculture, integrated science and health education was merged into integrated science, home science and agriculture was combined into agriculture.
At the same time, computer science, business studies and pre-technical studies were merged into pre-technical studies, while visual arts, performing arts, physical education and sports were merged into creative arts and sports.
In spite of the delays of release occasioned by the rationalisation, KPA council said, “there are still sufficient relevant textbooks in circulation” for creative arts and sports, pre-technical studies and agriculture.
“These materials, produced before the rationalisation process, still meet the needs of learners and teachers in Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8, as the country transitions to the updated and rationalised curriculum support materials, as per the recommendations of the PWPER,” explained Mr Kiarie.
He added that KICD had further approved a variety of books for Grade 9 and other learning areas from more than 15 publishers, “as such learners and teachers have a rich variety to choose from”.
Just days before schools reopened for the first term, parents, teachers and other education stakeholders were yet to know which course books to buy or use, with many blaming the KICD for not giving them direction. The institute was yet to release the approved list of course books for Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8. But, KICD insisted that there was no crisis on CBC textbooks in the CBC.
"There are textbooks for all learning areas from PP1 to Grade 9," KICD CEO Prof Charles Ong'ondo previously told Nation.Africa, adding that they are "available in schools and open the markets".
