All Secondary Students to Benefit from Textbooks Covering 33 Subjects

All students attending secondary level institutions will benefit from textbooks covering 33 subjects for the new 2010/2011 academic year, which are being sourced at a cost of $637 million, with the exception of literature books.
This was disclosed by Assistant Chief Education Officer, Media Services Unit at the Ministry of Education (MOE), Dr. Olive Maragh, during a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on August 25.
“The MOE is providing textbooks to secondary institutions through the National Rental/Loan Scheme. The scheme provides textbooks in the major subject areas for all students in Grades 7-9 of Primary and Junior High and All Age Schools; all students in Grades 7-11 in Upgraded and Traditional High Schools; all students in Grades 7-11 in Technical and Vocational High Schools; all students in Grades 7-11 of Agricultural High Schools, Independent Schools and some non-profit organizations,” Dr. Maragh explained.
She pointed out that the Ministry does not provide literature textbooks or textbooks for sixth form and college/tertiary level students. For the 2010-2011school year, textbooks will be provided in areas, such as languages, mathematics and sciences, arts and humanities, business education, industrial education and home economics education.
Dr. Maragh informed that the books will be provided by suppliers, such as Carlong Publishers, Kingston Bookshop, Meto Corporation, Book Wizard and Sangster’s Book Stores Limited.
While these textbooks will not be delivered to schools at the usual time in September, due to a textbook audit that was conducted earlier this year, the MOE is recommending that the current stocks of textbooks being held in schools be used until deliveries are made during the first term of school.
In the meantime, the Assistant Chief Education Officer pointed out that textbooks and workbooks are also being procured for primary schools.
“The textbooks and workbooks being bought are those that are aligned to the Revised Primary Curriculum and are of the highest quality based on the MOE’s textbook review process,” Dr. Maragh noted, while pointing out that stocks of several books are now being distributed.
“For the 2010/2011 school year, the MOE is procuring Students’ Books and Workbooks for Integrated Studies for grades 1-3 and workbooks for mathematics for Grades 1-3. Top up quantities are being bought for the Term 1, Grades 1-3 Students’ Books and workbooks, as some stocks were procured and stored from last year. These stocks, which were in storage, are now being distributed to 543 primary, 163 all-age and 87primary and junior high schools,” she added.
Dr. Maragh said that full quantities are being bought for the Terms 2 and 3 Grades 1-3 students’ workbooks, as these books are considered consumables and are required to be replaced yearly. These workbooks are being procured from Macmillan Publishers at a cost of more than $117 million.
Full quantities are also being procured for the Grades 1-3 Mathematics Workbooks, as these are also consumables and have to replaced yearly. These workbooks are being bought from Pearson Education at a cost of just under $30 million dollars.