Learners get books for new curriculum

Course books for Kenya’s new education curriculum have started trickling in bookshops ahead of the mid-term break promising big relief for Class One and Two pupils who have spent half the term without the key learning aids.

Pupils in the two grades have had to endure learning without course books as publishers grappled with a printing backlog that delayed their production and distribution.

Some of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KIDC) – accredited publishers said they have now completed the task and that distribution to bookshops was ongoing.

“The Grade One and Two books for the CBC are now available in bookshops across the country,” said KICD chief executive Julius Jwan.

Publishers had since the year began dedicated most resources to printing Form One, Standard Eight and Seven books for distribution to public schools and only switched to printing books for the two lower primary grades at the end of January.

Books are categorised according to nature of practical activities, including Art & craft, English language, hygiene & nutrition, mathematics, environmental, Kiswahili, religious and indigenous language.

READ: Class One pupils yet to get course books

Musyoki Muli, the chief executive of Spear Sharp Education, a printing firm, said publishers had produced the new curriculum books up to Grade Three.

Piloting of the new curriculum began last year in 470 select schools, 10 from every county. This year, the programme escalated to cover pre-school as well as Grade One and Two, with a few Grade Three institutions also taking part ahead of its implementation next year.

“The paradigm shift this year is that parents will be required to buy the books since the Ministry of Education did not release money to finance it,” said Mr Muli.
A spot-check across leading bookshops in Nairobi confirmed that the books started hitting the shelves last week.