Parents, booksellers raise concerns over textbook shortage
Parents and bookshop owners have reported an acute shortage of core textbooks for primary and junior secondary schools that may affect learning when schools open today across the country.
The shortage primarily affects subjects that were recently reorganised and consolidated, as well as new books for Grade 9, which rolls out in schools today. The shortage has been reported even as the government acknowledged that the distribution of free textbooks to public schools was incomplete.
The reorganisation or rationalisation of content has rendered the earlier books obsolete, as parents and teachers prefer the new textbooks. Mohamed Ali, the chairperson of the Coast and North Eastern Booksellers Association and proprietor of Eden Bookshop in Mombasa, expressed deep concern over the shortage.
“The transition to new textbooks has posed a significant challenge for parents as the new term begins. We are sitting on millions of shillings’ worth of old stock that we can no longer sell. The shortage might persist until the end of January,” Mr Ali said.
“The system needs to be prepared at least a year or two in advance. Grade 1 to 4 textbooks are available only in bits, while accessing books for Grades 5 to 9 has been a nightmare. The rush is detrimental to everyone involved — publishers, bookshops, parents, and schools alike,” he said.
Parents, too, have voiced their frustrations. Mr Abdulrahman Abdallah, a resident of Old Town in Mombasa, said on Saturday, “There are no books in most bookshops. I have scoured the city and found very few.
The Ministry of Education needs to style up and communicate properly about when all the books will be available.”Ms Irene Isasi, a parent.
“I started looking for textbooks in December. I’ve only managed to find three for my Grade 8 child and none for Grade 5. We are hurting as parents. The Ministry of Education must put its house in order. It’s unfortunate that we waste fare and time daily searching for books in vain,” Ms Isasi said.
The Mt Kenya region reported a serious shortage of primary school textbooks, with some bookshop operators saying they have only received 60 percent of their requirements.
The director of Kimji Devshi Bookshop in Nyeri, Khilan Shah, said the shortage mainly affects pupils from PP1 to Grade 4. He attributed the shortage to publishers contracted by the government.
In Laikipia County, bookshop owners in Nanyuki said they have enough stock for Grade 9 textbooks but face challenges in sourcing for Grade 1 to 6. The Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Joe Nyutu, said parents should be given time to buy Grade 9 books.
“It is true that, as of Sunday, there were some textbooks that were not accessible in the market. The government, through a lack of proper policy, has ambushed all stakeholders, hence the shortage,” he said.
Ms Elizabeth Soliyo, a parent in Murang’a, said she had been to the major bookshops in search of the books, but many were not available.
Reporting by Wachira Mwangi, Stephen Munyiri, Mwangi Ndirangu, Mwangi Muiruri, and Mercy Koskei.
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