KICD releases list of books amid outcry from desperate parents

Parents buy learning materials at Vaghela Bookshop in Kakamega town on January 2, 2025. [Benjamin Sakwa,Standard] The government released a revised list of textbooks on Friday to be used in schools following a reduction in the number of subjects. However, learners in Grades Five to Eight will face further delays in receiving the new textbooks, despite schools reopening on Monday. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) announced yesterday that books covering Agriculture, Creative Arts and Sports, Integrated Science, Social Studies, and Pre-Technical Studies are expected to be available on the open market between now and April. The lack of textbooks in the revised subjects has sparked concerns among parents, many of whom have reported difficulties in sourcing the required materials before the reopening, adding to the anxiety surrounding the new term. For example, one parent in Mombasa said on Thursday that textbooks for English, Kiswahili, Science and Technology, and Social Studies under the Grade 5 rationalised curriculum were unavailable in bookshops. "For the past two weeks, all bookshops have said they are yet to receive these textbooks. It's frustrating because the school won't allow my son into class without them," said Joyce Kadenge. "I've visited four bookshops in Nairobi and still can't find the Science and Technology textbook for Grade 5," said Beatrice Njeri. "How are our children supposed to learn when the materials they need are not available?" In Kisumu, Joseph Otieno expressed his frustration after sending money to a cousin in Nairobi to buy the books, only to find they were out of stock there as well. "It seems like the publishers weren't prepared for this," he said. Parents have criticised the publishers and the government for poor planning. "We were given the list of required textbooks as early as November. Why are they still not in the market?" asked Esther Wambui from Nakuru. Meanwhile, schools will continue using books provided under the previous subject lineup. KICD stated that textbooks for the rationalised subjects are being finalised following evaluations conducted in November and December 2024. "KICD informs stakeholders that textbooks for Grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 in Agriculture, Creative Arts and Sports, Integrated Science, Social Studies, and Pre-Technical Studies are being finalised," read a statement from the institute. The government revised subjects under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in 2023, reducing the number of learning areas in lower primary from nine to seven. In upper primary, the subjects were reduced from ten to eight, while in junior secondary, they were scaled down from fourteen to nine. KICD has assured stakeholders that previously approved textbooks remain relevant when used alongside the current curriculum designs. Grade 9 learners, however, will receive textbooks for the new subjects at the start of the term, as these were distributed in November and December. Learners in Grades 1 to 4 are also set to receive their textbooks as scheduled. Education Principal Secretary, Belio Kipsang said at least 9.9 million textbooks for Grade 9 have been printed and distributed to junior secondary schools as the government races against time to put everything in order ahead of the opening day next week. Speaking in Mombasa, the PS said all the textbooks will be ready before the Monday opening of schools across the country. He said 85 percent of required Grade 9 textbooks have reached schools. "Those schools who might not have received the books failed to get them because there were no teachers to receive them. But between today (yesterday) and the weekend, all shall have received the textbooks,'' the PS said. Prof Charles Ong'ondo, the KICD chief executive, told The Saturday Standard in an interview that the new books to be distributed will align with the revised learning areas. "The restructuring removed overlaps and reduced learning areas, meaning schools will only need textbooks that align with the core subjects," Prof Ong'ondo said. Ong'ondo admitted that the adjustments, while necessary, had caused temporary confusion in some schools. "We are aware that some schools were left with surplus materials for subjects no longer being taught under the restructured curriculum. Moving forward, we are ensuring that only the correct, updated textbooks are delivered," he said. The shortage of specialised junior school teachers remains a challenge, with some educators struggling to adapt to CBC. KICD maintains that well-structured textbooks will help bridge this gap. "Textbooks act as guides for teachers, particularly where there are knowledge or training gaps," Dr. Ong'ondo noted. However, Ong'ondo decried the over-reliance on distributed textbooks for teaching and learning, noting that this has left unutilised other resource avenues such as digital learning materials available at KICD. He said uptake of digital learning materials on the Kenya Education Cloud has been slow due to connectivity and infrastructure challenges. KICD further admitted that funding constraints have hindered the large-scale rollout of digital content. "We are working with stakeholders to explore ways of improving access to digital learning, but physical textbooks remain the priority for now," Dr Ong'ondo said. Additional reporting by Philip Mwakio

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