The government is planning to introduce a new digital system in schools to help deal with the ongoing shortage of textbooks under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the system is expected to be rolled out within a month. It will allow the Ministry of Education to track, in real time, how books are being distributed, what schools need, and how learning is going on.
Speaking in Nakuru during the Elimu Mashinani conference, Bitok admitted that the shift to senior school under CBE has not been smooth, especially in new subject areas that were not part of the old system.
“We have a small challenge in the new, highly specialised areas,” he said, noting that CBE is still new at the senior school level.
He said the government is working to make sure all schools offering these new subjects receive the required textbooks.
The move comes after concerns earlier this year over a shortage of Grade 10 books, just months after students moved to senior school.
The new system is expected to help improve planning and reduce confusion by giving up-to-date information on student numbers and subject choices.
Earlier, KICD requested principals to provide fresh information on enrollment of students amid complaints from both the parents and the learners.
According to the director of KICD Charles Ong’ondo Ochieng, previous information was inadequate since it did not include crucial aspects such as subjects taken by the learners, which determine the number of books required.
Information will assist the organization in the subsequent stage of distributing the books and planning for future enrollment of students.
Reports indicate that fewer than half of the required Grade 10 textbooks have been delivered due to over-enrollment of students and change of subjects in some schools.
It is hoped that the new digital system introduced by the government will sort out the problems in the provision of learning materials to the learners.
