The school year is slowing drawing to an end, paving a way for the 2024/2025 academic year which will witness the introduction of new textbooks in the French and English sub-systems of education.
French, Maths and English workbooks will be introduced in classes 1-4 of the English sub-system, and SIL, CP,CE1, and CE2 in the French sub-system of education.
For the 24th time, members of the National Council for the Approval of Textbooks and Didactic Materials (CNAMSMD) began meeting in Yaounde today 29th April 2024 to chart a course for the effective implementation of this innovation.
From 29th -30th April 2024, the evaluators will also discuss the introduction of textbooks in Sound and Word Building in classes 1 to 4, SIL, CP,CE1, and CE2 for the Francophone sub-system of education and Handwriting for classes 1 and 2 of both sub-systems.
“We discovered that children don’t master reading up till a certain age. The workbook permits the child to study individually with their mates or with their parents at home. Prof. Marcellin Vounda Etoa said.
The introduction of these new books is a respond to a Prime Ministerial order of 20th December 2020 requesting that 50% of market shares of textbook printing be conceded to national printers.
According to officials of the CNAMSMD, approved textbooks are usually printed abroad. The fall back has been repeated delays in delivery, causing many pupils and students to resume school without the required textbooks.
Aside nipping these delays in the book supply chain, the Prime Minister’s order was also intended to promote the national textbook production industry.
The execution of that order will become effective during the 2024/2025 academic year with over 2million workbooks to be printed exclusively by local printers.
The permanent secretary says handing over this task to local printers “ kick-starts a real revolution in the production of books and textbooks in our country because it obliges the publishers concerned to print the totality of workbooks locally,” Prof. Marcellin Vounda Etoa said.
As the new school year draws closer, stakeholders are hopeful that the modification of the book list for the 2025/2025 academic year will be will be hitch-free.
Kathy Neba Sina
