The Herald
Herald Reporter
26 June 2009
Harare — GOVERNMENT has engaged publishers, printers and booksellers in a bid to map out strategies for the provision of adequate textbooks and other educational materials to the country’s primary and secondary schools.
In a speech read on his behalf by his Deputy Lazarus Dokora at the Teaching and Learning Materials Indaba, Education Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart highlighted the importance of textbooks to schools.
He said textbooks were not only important for educational expansion, but because new subjects that were introduced into the curriculum also required new resource materials.
“Further, in situations where there is shortage of teachers, textbooks are crucial in maintaining standards of quality and direction to the curriculum.
“From research evidence, the availability of textbooks appears to be the single most consistently positive school factor in predicting academic achievements.
“It is therefore crucial that teachers are provided with relevant and up to date teaching and learning materials,” he said.
He said the production and distribution of textbooks was a complex process, which required the participation of many stakeholders hence the convening of the Indaba. Minister Coltart said while publishing and textbook business were not major financial expenditures in the broader context of educational and economic development compared to expenditure for infrastructure, they involved many elements of modern society.