The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has released the list of approved Grade 11 textbooks and literary texts while warning schools against the use of unauthorised materials.
This is happening ahead of the rollout of Grade 11 next year. It is expected that distribution of books will start immediately and continue until January, only taking a break during the national exams periods.
In a notice issued on October 6, KICD chief executive Prof Charles Ong’ondo issued the warning, asking schools that shall have not received the approved list by mid-January to report.
“Use of unapproved textbooks is in contravention of Section 27 of the KICD Act 2013, and anyone found culpable will face the full force of the law,” Prof Ong’ondo warned, adding that those who receive excess copies should also raise the alarm.
When the pioneer Grade 10 learners reported to school under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBE) in January this year, book distribution was one of the major headaches for the government as publishers demanded the release of unpaid billions of shillings for them to continue production.
Parents and guardians have complained about the long list of reads that some schools demand, saying it was burdening the learners while increasing the educational budget for families.
It is also public knowledge that unapproved books are more likely to fail subject content and production tests, thereby exposing learners to substandard materials.
Kenya has more than 35 book publishers with many of them focusing on school texts as opposed to other reads.
In the just released list of Grade 11 books and texts, 32 publishers made the cut with companies such as KLB, Moran Publishers, EAEP, Booklyst and Hummingbird leading with titles across the learning areas.
Under arts and sports pathway, the learning areas are music and dance; theatre and film; fine arts; sports and recreation; and, physical education.
Social sciences pathway has the following: English; Literature in English; Kiswahili; Fasihi ya Kiswahili; Arabic; French; and German languages. There are also religious education; community service; History and Citizenship; Geography; Business Studies; and, Life Skills.
STEM covers pure sciences (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and general sciences) and applied sciences whose learning areas are agriculture, home science, computer studies, and ICT.
Technical studies cover woodwork, metalwork, build construction, aviation, metal work, power mechanics, media technology, marine and fisheries.
The release of the approved textbooks comes as schools prepare for the next phase of the Competency-Based Curriculum, with Grade 11 set to be introduced in 2027.
The government has asked schools to have workers who will receive the books beginning this month until the national exams—KPSEA, KJSEA and KCSE—start.
The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) exam for Grade Six learners is scheduled to run from October 26 to October 28. The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) runs from October 26 to October 30.
