There has been a 30 per cent reduction in the amount of money spent by Jamaica's Ministry of Education on the procurement of textbooks for the 2014/15 academic year. This has resulted in a decrease in the number of replacement books to be purchased.
More than $900 million has been allocated to the National Textbook Programme for this financial year, with $88 million to be saved and redirected to other areas in the delivery of education.
Dr. Grace McLean, Chief Education Officer in the Ministry, says members of the book industry have supported the rationalisation of the textbook programme, despite the financial challenges it presents to their operations.
The Ministry of Education provides textbooks annually for students in primary schools, and through a loan scheme for secondary schools. These books reflect the primary curriculum from grade one to grade six; the secondary curriculum for grades seven to nine, and the syllabi for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination at grades 10 and 11.
Meanwhile, McLean says the Ministry is in the process of delivering new books to primary schools, while those for high schools will be ordered shortly. They will be delivered to schools in August.
All feeds
