Report shows pupils in public schools still sharing books

A report by National Taxpayers Association shows that schools have insufficient textbooks and sharing remains the practice even with several years of free primary education. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The survey assessed learning in 100 public schools from three counties.
  • It found out that parents are not comfortable with assignments taken at home.
  • The government is now being challenged to investigate the biting shortage of text books in public schools.

Students in public schools are still sharing text books despite more than 10 years of free primary education funding, a report has revealed.

A report by National Taxpayers Association (NTA) indicates that schools have insufficient textbooks and sharing remains the practice.

“Students are still sharing textbooks with at least three other pupils on average from Class 1 to 8 despite more than 10 years of FPE existence. To compound this, paltry three schools assessed reported a ratio of 1:1,” says the report.

The report collaborates another confidential report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) released last year titled “Examination into the Disbursement and Utilisation of Free Primary Education Funds”, which blamed the roles played by heads, school management committees and suppliers for the failure to achieve the 1:1 book-to-pupil ratio.

It estimated that the pupil-to-book ratio stood at 5:1 in primary schools.

PROBE SHORTAGE

The government is now being challenged to investigate the biting shortage of text books in public schools in order to reduce the disturbing levels of sharing among pupils.

Dubbed “The School Report Card, 2016”, the report by NTA reveals that pupils in public schools continue to share text books even after the government introduced free primary education.

The survey which assessed learning in 100 public schools from three counties found that although certain improvements were noted in access to textbooks, sharing is still widespread.

The assessment found out that parents are not comfortable with assignments taken at home, arguing that their children are not fully engaged.

Parents recommended that pupils should be given homework assignments five days a week.