Parents Report Acute Textbook Shortage Despite Ministry Assurances

While the Ministry of Education continues to assure parents, students, and Kenyans at large that everything is set for school reopening scheduled for Monday, January 6, parents are reporting otherwise.

Basic Education Permanent Secretary Belio Kipsang just this week assured the country that the Ministry would ensure a surplus of textbooks to facilitate the smooth incorporation of the competency-based curriculum. Kipsang reported that nine million books had already been printed and distributed to various schools for the Grade 9 transition.

However, this is not the case. Parents, publishers, and bookshop owners across the country are grappling with an acute shortage of textbooks, sparking frustration and outcry. In Mombasa County, parents have decried a shortage of textbooks, with those available being expensive.

Parents have decried the situation that is forcing them to dig deeper into their pockets and exceed their budgets.

“You go from bookshop to bookshop trying to find textbooks in vain. It would have been better if there were strategies and plans to avail books ahead of the reopening,” a parent decried.

“I have been searching for textbooks since December, and so far, I have only secured three books for grade eight and none for grade five,” another parent explained.

They have blamed the government for rushing the county into the CBC curriculum without having a proper implementation strategy.

“In short, there are no books, this has been a big problem because the transition was hurriedly done without proper planning and strategy,” another parent revealed.

Apart from the book shortages, parents are also faced with the burden of expensive school uniforms, while others are forced to use their money to try and build temporary classes for students as the government has yet to deliver on the classrooms.

“Schools should be able to start learning on Monday without any challenges. As we go into the week, we shall ensure that necessary funding and resources supposed to go to the schools will be availed,” Kipsang assured.

Learners in Tana River will be forced to learn in mad classrooms, with parents appealing to the ministry to supplement efforts with local leaders to put up better classroom structures.

In Kisii County, parents resorted to consolidating funds and building temporary iron sheet classrooms for grade 9 students as they have yet to receive any funding for the classrooms from the government.

In Nairobi, some classrooms are complete while others are still under construction. Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino revealed that while the government allocates the money through NG-CDF, the challenge comes in the disbursement of the funds.

According to the Ministry of Education, 93 per cent of the 16,000 classrooms have already been constructed, with plans underway to ensure they are all completed.