Publishers Are Counting On Continued Piloting Of CBC To Save Ksh 5bn.

Book publishers are hoping against hope on continued piloting of Kenya’s new Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) to save  billions of shillings invested in printing books before a recent reversal of the plan to fully roll out the new syllabus in January.

Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) chairman, Lawrence Njagi, yesterday stated Education secretary Amina Mohamed had clarified that piloting the new curriculum would continue till 2020, allaying fears that publishers would incur huge losses with the indefinite suspension of the 2-6-3-3-3 curriculum.

Ms Mohamed had earlier said the new curriculum will not be rolled-out in January,shocking parents, publishers, donors and other partners who had pumped who had  billions of shillings providing new learning materials.

Publishers also stated that they will suffer a big blow  because they have already used to publish the new learning materials.

The new early primary school syllabus throws into crisis the learning programme for more than five million pupils — from nursery to Class Three.

“The ministry has assured us that piloting will go on for the next full year. We have not received orders from the government, but we are looking forward to getting them,” Mr Njagi sai.

14.8 million books for Grades 1, 2 and 3 and pre-primary 1 and 2 estimated to be worth Sh5 billion, have been printed. Publishers are said to have distributed at least 400,000 books countrywide in readiness for the programme.He added.

Besides, many private schools had compiled and sent parents book-lists for January, and some parents have actually purchased the books.

Mr Njagi urged the national and county governments to move with speed and provide the funds for provision of books to public schools.

The publishers last Saturday met with Ministry of Education officials, including Ms Mohamed, to save the programme that had been thrown into disarray with the shock announcement that its full implementation had been moved to January 2020.

Ms Mohamed on Saturday announced that the CBC National Pilot would be extended for one more year to allow alignment in implementation, particularly, intensive in-service teacher training.

Full rollout of the new curriculum for pupils in nursery school to Class Three was to start in January as the piloting continued in Class Four.

kenyans complained the decision is frustrating and that a lot of resources will go to waste. Millions of shillings were used to pay several consultants to drive the process.