CS Ezekiel Machogu during the Senate committee to explain why there’s a shortage of textbooks in JSS.
Education cabinet secretary, Hon. Ezekiel Machogu appeared before the senate committee to explain why there has been a shortage of textbooks in Junior secondary schools, yet the government promised to deliver them.
While making an appearance before the Senate Education Committee, the CS revealed that publishers have been slow in their work, hence the shortage.
He stated,” Quite a number of JSSs have got their books, but I want to convey that we have not been able to give all the schools up to now.”
Machogu stated that it’s not the government’s fault to deliver at the moment.
“It is not the Ministry’s fault, but the publishers who have been slow in publishing and distributing what the schools requested,” he added.
He explained that the government had already put in place had already invested Ksh3 billion, which is nearly 17.8 million textbooks, that they know will be enough for every public JSS in Kenya.
The senator further questioned why, the schools are yet to receive funds and the money has already been signed out.
Nominated Senator Hon. Tabitha Mutinda posed, “Many schools are yet to receive capacitation for learners, which has hampered learning. What has occasioned the delay, yet money has already been disbursed to the Ministry?”
Machogu defended the ministry saying that plans for disbursement are underway and by next week, every school will have received the funds.
He stated, “We cannot give out funds on guesswork. We had to get the specific figure to capture it in The National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).”
“We did this to avoid the government losing money, and by next week, the schools will start receiving capacitation,” he added.
