Public schools start receiving textbooks in new plan

Principals carry away Form One textbooks after they were offloaded outside the Nyeri County headquarters on January 8, 2018. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • County Education Director Fredrick Osewe said distribution started and ended last week.
  • In Mt Kenya region, the textbooks had not reached schools sampled by the Nation.

The government has recorded mixed success in the distribution of books to public schools ahead of form one admission starting Tuesday.

The books are meant to cushion parents from high prices charged by sellers and to ensure each child has access to a textbook during learning.

In Vihiga County, for instance, officials said schools were yet to receive the textbooks but noted they expect the programme to be finalised before the end of the week.

DELAY

County Director of Education Victoria Mulili, however, told Nation that the books were expected to arrive “soon.”

The same situation was witnessed in Nyandarua County, with a number of head teachers, who requested anonymity, revealing they were yet to receive the textbooks.

“The delay is hurting both the teachers and our learners. Yet we can’t go back to parents requesting them to buy the books,” a primary school head told Nation in Ol Kalou Town.

However, County Director of Education Hellen Ochwando, when contacted, assured the teachers that the learning materials were on the way.

In Kericho, however, distribution of the textbooks to the more than 210 secondary schools had been completed.

County Education Director Fredrick Osewe said distribution started and ended last week.

In Kisii, book distribution in various schools started two weeks ago, with the official launch expected to take place on Wednesday.

LAUNCH

The county Education board chairman, Dr Henry Onderi, said the launch will take place at Nyabururu Girls High School, Kisii School, and Getembe Secondary School.

Dr Onderi said administrators, from the more than 350 secondary schools, have been collecting books from the sub-county education headquarters.

In Nyamira, all primary and secondary schools have received the free textbooks by the Ministry of Education.

The same situation applied to Bomet as all the 262 public secondary schools received the six textbooks per student.

County Director of Education Beatrice Atsiago’s office confirmed that all the schools had received the books and assured that education programmes will run smoothly even as form ones report.

In Mt Kenya region, the textbooks had not reached schools sampled by the Nation.

TEXTBOOKS

Distribution of textbooks to schools in Nyeri County was delayed as most principals remained in the dark over the issuance of the materials.

A spot check revealed that most school heads had not been briefed on the procedure of distribution and hence no school had received the books by press time.

School heads were holed up in a meeting with county education bosses.

The books were, however, delivered at the Nyeri Central Sub-county offices at around 3pm yesterday by courier.

Only Physics and Kiswahili textbooks have been distributed to secondary schools in Isiolo County.

Head teachers in Isiolo, Merti and Garbatulla said they are yet to receive books for the remaining subjects.

In Tharaka-Nithi, schools had not received the books.

Reports by Waikwa Maina, Ruth Mbula, Derick Luvega, Henry Nyarora, Anita Chepkoech, Geoffrey Rono, Nicholas Komu, Vivian Jebet and Alex Njeru