Starting next month, Grade 9 textbooks will be distributed to Junior Secondary Schools in Molo Sub-County, Nakuru County, up until January 31, 2025. This forms part of the larger program by the government to distribute over 9.6 million textbooks across the country to public primary schools for students in Grade 1 through Grade 9.
Government Commitment to 1:1 Pupil-Textbook Ratio
Dr. Belio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Basic Education, assured that the government was satisfied with the implementation stage towards achieving a 1:1 pupil-to-textbook ratio. Kenya became the first country in East Africa to implement a policy where every student from Grade 1 through to Grade 9 has his or her own textbook.
“We are on the right track to reaching a 1:1 learner-to-textbook ratio, which is essential for effective teaching and learning in all schools hosting Grade 9 learners,” Dr. Kipsang said earlier in the week while touring Nakuru County to inspect schools’ preparedness to host Grade 9 learners.
Grade 9 Textbooks Distribution
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development has finalized the instructional materials for Grade 9; all the required textbooks were printed in liaison with various publishers. Distribution is expected to be completed by January 2025 so that the approved learning materials reach the schools on time.
Some of the publishers on this drive include Oxford University Press, Kenya Literature Bureau, Longhorn Publishers, Storymoja Publishers, and many more. Dr. Kipsang shed light on the fact that only textbooks passed by KICD after stringent scrutiny are to be used in schools.
Teacher Employment and Classroom Construction
The government, through the TSC, is equally not sleeping; it is making strong attempts at shoring up the teaching force in the JSS. It is giving permanent employment to the over 46,000 JSS intern teachers who have greatly contributed to the success of the system, the government allocating Ksh 18 billion to TSC for that purpose.
The government also plans to hire 20,000 intern teachers, bringing the total number of teachers in the JSS system to 76,000. Meanwhile, 11,000 new classrooms are being constructed around the country for the expansion of junior secondary education.
Preparing for New Assessments
In July 2024, the Ministry of Education ran a pilot assessment for Grade 9 learners, getting ready for the new Competency-Based Curriculum. This is intended to ensure that when the students go for national assessments in 2025, the teachers will be better positioned. There will be another pilot later in the year for Grade 6 learners, acting as a dress rehearsal for the assessment next November.
The pilot will also inform the placement of students in Grade 10 in 2026 and their choice of pathways: either STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics; humanities; creative arts or sports. Every school must offer at least two pathways, one of which must be STEM.
Infrastructure for STEM and Virtual Labs
To supplement the teaching of the STEM curriculum, the Government will commence the construction of laboratories in schools from January 2025. Currently, there are approximately 1,600 junior schools that are without laboratory facilities but virtual labs are being introduced to supplement this. This is a very significant development toward the introduction of technology into the learning process.
Safety in Schools and Future Plans
Dr. Kipsang also addressed the issue of school safety, following the recent burning of schools. To this end, the government said it was going to review the safety manual for schools and come up with legal frameworks that entail punitive measures to be meted on schools that flout set safety regulations.
From the issuance of textbooks to infrastructural development and safety, this all-round approach by the government shows that it is committed to quality education and the smooth implementation of the new curriculum in Kenya.