The ministry of education distributed a total of 2.7 million books to pupils studying in over 23,000 schools around the country. The initiative which is called Tusome Literacy Programme is meant to aid students with books in a time where learning skills is direly needed.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said the project is aimed at improving teaching and learning of the two subjects.
“It targets 5.4 million children in Class one and two to increase their competencies in reading and writing by the time they join Standard Three,” said Dr Kipsang.
“The intervention will benefit our children a great deal,” Dr Kipsang said on Monday when he hosted United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) representative Sandra Barton.
A report by Uwezo, a program of Twaweza Communications, titled Are our children learning? says less than seven out of 10 Kenyan children aged 10-16 have mustered standard two literacy and numeracy skills.
It also shows children from poor households consistently show lower learning skills.
The Sh4 billion Tusome Early Grade Reading activity is sponsored by the Agency for International Development of the United States and DFID.
(c) Daily Nation
