NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 22 – The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has dismissed claims of an impending textbook crisis in 2025, assuring that learning materials for all grades will be available as planned.
In a statement, KICD clarified that textbooks for all learning areas from Pre-Primary 1 (PP1) to Grade 9 are either already in schools or accessible in the open market.
The government has acknowledged a slight delay in textbooks for rationalised learning areas at Grade 7 and Grade 8—Agriculture, Creative Arts & Sports, and Pre-Technical Studies. However, it assured that these materials, updated in December 2024, will be available in schools and the market by February 2025 after corrections and printing by publishers.
“The interim textbooks produced earlier remain adequate and cover all necessary strands in the rationalised learning areas,” KICD stated, citing examples such as books on Physical Education, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts for Creative Arts & Sports, and Agriculture and Home Science for Agriculture.
KICD attributed the delay to the rationalisation process initiated following the release of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) report in August 2023. This process required updates to curriculum designs, completed in December 2024, before updating the corresponding textbooks.
The institute emphasized that learning materials for other grades, including PP1 to Grade 3, Upper Primary, and Grade 9, had already been rationalised and are readily available.
“There is no textbook crisis now or in 2025,” KICD reiterated, urging stakeholders to remain confident in its ability to deliver high-quality resources for learners.
The statement comes amidst concerns about resource adequacy as schools gear up for the next academic year under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
