Parents have taken to social media to raise concerns over the cost and number of books they are required to buy for their primary school children.
Some Grade 1-5 pupils have been asked to report to school with between 18 and 27 exercise books and almost 10 textbooks.
One parent posted a receipt of textbooks she had bought for her Grade 1 child. The books cost almost Sh9,000.
Another parent was asked to buy 18 exercise books and 10 textbooks for her Grade 5 child.
Kenya National Parents Association chairman Nicholas Maiyo asked private schools to involve parents in decisions touching on children’s welfare to avoid future setbacks.
“It is quite unfortunate that private schools do not have a clear structure when it comes to decision-making. I urge them to embrace public participation to agree on fees and school requirements,” he told the Star.
Parents say the new curriculum is proving to be very costly and the Ministry of Education needs to intervene.
“We were not involved in the implementation of this curriculum. Why should I buy almost 30 A4 exercise books and 16 textbooks?” a parent posed on social media.
They say the one-week holiday break for students did not give them enough time to put funds together for school fees and other requirements.
“We are used to four or three weeks long holidays that help us budget well and accumulate finances for school fees and other requirements, but this time we were given only one week. It’s very hard to keep up with that pace,” the parent said.
The textbooks are used for assignments and evaluation, raising questions on why pupils need many exercise books.
“The 15 textbooks have questions and slots for answers where my daughter is supposed to fill in. Why 27 exercise books? What will she be writing in those books if she writes her homework in the textbook?” a parent asked.
Kenya Private Schools Association CEO Mutheu Kasanga said there is need to have extra books for every subject.
"The government has a provision for one book per subject, but that is not enough. Perhaps every school has its own interpretation of CBC and the scope of work to be completed," she told the Star.
Kasanga asked publishers to be considerate owing to the tough economic times caused by the pandemic.
Edited by A.N
