Ministry to save Sh5b in textbook spending cut

By Sam Otieno and Phillip Mwakio

Primary schools that lose textbooks bought in the last six years will have to replace them without the Government’s help.

Education Minister Sam Ongeri said the ministry had achieved its target pupil-to-book ratio and will not buy any more textbooks from next year.

The Ministry of Education, he says, will save close to Sh5.6 billion when the freeze begins.

"When Free Primary Education (FPE) started in 2003, the pupil-to-book ratio was 7:1. But now we have narrowed the gap to 1:1," said Prof Ongeri. Each child has been receiving Sh650 yearly for the purchase of learning materials and Sh370 for operation materials. There are 8.6 million children benefiting from the FPE programme.

Education PS Karega Mutahi said only 4,000 of more than 18,000 primary schools were yet to reach the targeted ratio.

"We are currently conducting an audit on why these schools have not reached the target," said Prof Karega. He said the ministry was investigating allegations of textbook theft in these schools. Donor funding for textbook purchases was halted after audits revealed discrepancies.

Value for money

Karega said the ministry would revise the allocation criteria of textbooks in primary schools after it emerged that some schools had more textbooks than they needed.

The decision to cut spending on textbooks was arrived at after the ministry undertook a ‘value for money’ audit on the FPE programme.

Extra money saved will then be channelled to other areas of need such as infrastructure, in-service training of teachers as well as the crucial school feeding programmes.

The decision comes at a time when there is speculation that key donors have pulled out of funding instructional materials in the FPE programme, while still funding crucial components such as the school feeding programme and infrastructure.

Ross Hynes, the Canadian Ambassador early this year led a delegation to the ministry headquarters to seek answers over the issue.

The umbrella association of publishers had raised the red flag that 50 per cent of the funds released annually for textbooks were not being spent for the intended purpose.

While opening a regional workshop on Education for Peace in Mombasa yesterday, Ongeri admitted that 19 schools had misappropriated the cash and had since demoted the culprits. The minister indicated that the 19 are to refund the cash.

Yesterday, Ongeri termed the shift in spending as logical.

"We have achieved our target and buying books to lie on shelves will not help us," said Ongeri.