Education CS Dr Fred Matiang'i (photo Kenyans.co.ke)
In an effort to ensure government supplied textbooks to each form one student are not stolen or pirated, the ministry of education has introduced enhanced security features in the books.
A Government of Kenya logo and a 'not for sale' branding has been put on all pages of the textbooks.
The ministry of Education says that this is meant to ensure that intergrity and retention of the books in school and a bid to overcome piracy.
The books were published by 5 publishers namely Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), Oxford University Press, Moran Publishers, East African Educational Publishers (EAEP), and Longhorn Publishers.
The ministry says that this will cut the cost of government expenditure by sh. 13.8 billion.
The government used to spend sh 21.4 billion and it's now down to sh 7.5. The ministry adds that the difference is as a result of unnecessary shelve life, marketing, distribution and transportation costs usually incurred when schools procure books.
Education cabinet secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i in a report from the ministry of Education said that the government will ensure each learner gets a text book,- one text book per learner.
"During the exercise, due diligence and absolute integrity were adhered to by the panellists. Marks were awarded for all textbooks submitted and comments made on areas of compliance. The best and lowest priced one (1) book was selected for each subject per class from the books submitted," the report says.
The ministry says that distribution of the books is progress ahead of the admission of last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination candidates to Form One next week.
"The delivery to schools started on December 27, 2017,” adds the report.