Books worth Sh3.2 billion have been dispatched to all public schools hosting junior secondary learners. They are composed of more than 17 million textbooks in all learning areas and over 400,000 teachers' guides.
The flagging off came a week after the government promised to send an additional Sh9 billion to schools as a capitation to finance learners' education, with each getting Sh15,000.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu noted that the move was aimed at reducing the education cost burden for parents.
"I wish to reiterate that each of the Grade 7 learners in public schools will be issued with a textbook in each of the core learning areas at Junior Secondary School and the optional subjects that they will choose,'' said Mr Machogu.
Speaking at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) offices after the flagging off, the CS called on all parents to send their children to school starting this week.
"I now urge all parents and guardians of Grade 7 students to ensure that the children report to schools promptly on Monday to start their next level of learning," he said.
The learning areas include Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Health Education, Agriculture, Religious Education (Christian, Islamic and Hindu), Home Science, Integrated Science, Performing Arts, Virtual Arts, Life Skills, Physical Education and Sports, Business Education, Pre-Technical Studies and Foreign Languages (German, French and Arabic).
The government, he said, was using last year's data and cautioned that student transfers may cause slight variances in distribution.
Mr Machogu urged heads of schools to report any variance to the county and sub-county director of education for action before the third week of March 2023.
"I wish to advise head teachers to check the number of books supplied to their schools. Any school that may have variances between the number of books delivered in relation to the number of learners in Grade 7 should report to the sub-county education office,'' he said.
Mr Machogu said KICD had also designed regular learners' books to suit those of Special Needs Education learners following the Stage-Based Pathway.
The CS appealed to head teachers to ensure that the books were well maintained to last for the next four years, when the next set of books will be distributed. He said apart from Grade 7 books, the government will also distribute learning materials to learners in Grade One to Six, those in Standard Eight and those in secondary school.
''The ministry is determined to sustain this tradition of effective and efficient textbook distribution to all our Junior and Senior Secondary School levels as we seek to ensure quality teaching and learning that allows all to complete basic education as provided for in our Constitution," said Mr Machogu.
Mr Machogu said the government was working on the Grade 8 curriculum, to be out by end of the year.
"I am also aware that KICD, in collaboration with publishers, has embarked on the development process of Grade 8 textbooks.
"This began with the training of publishers on the interpretation of Grade 8 curriculum designs in all learning areas,'' he added.
"The books will be submitted to KICD for evaluation and approval. We plan to distribute the books to schools by December 2023," he said.
