Oxford bags Sh273m State textbooks deal

It will print, package and also distribute CBC Grade 4 course materials.

Kenya’s largest publisher, Oxford University Press East Africa, has been awarded a Sh273 million tender for the supply of learning materials for the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) to public schools.

The publisher won the lucrative deal through a restricted tender by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) last October, according to tender details seen by the Business Daily.

Oxford beat Centum-owned rival, Longhorn Publishers, to win the tender that involved “printing, packaging and distribution of core course materials for the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) Grade 4.”

Restricted tendering is a procurement method that limits the request for tenders to a select number of suppliers, contractors or service providers.

Oxford last year appointed John Mwazemba to the role of regional director at its East Africa business.

The government last year began supplying textbooks directly to schools in a move targeted at achieving 1:1 textbook to student ratio in a bid to improve learning.

The direct supply was also aimed at getting rid of cartels in the distribution chain who had been blamed for inflating textbook prices.

The programme’s main aim was to improve learning in schools by providing the necessary tools to guide this.

In 2016, a report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) unearthed massive fraud in the procurement of textbooks for public schools, with head teachers playing a key role in the racket.

The fraud ranged from forged signatures, delivery of phantom books, overpricing and single-sourcing of suppliers by instructional materials selection committees.