There’s a worrying trend creeping into our schools. Publishers have discovered that the surest way to survive in the market is not through quality, but through corruption…by bribing teachers to include their books in the school booklist.
If you’ve ever wondered why some textbooks, despite being shallow and riddled with glaring grammatical and factual errors, still make it into the booklists, now you know the answer.
There exists an unspoken pact, a silent handshake between certain publishers and unscrupulous educators.
Meanwhile, honest self-publishers no matter how excellent their work in quality and content, are locked out of the system. Their voices are drowned by the noise of greed and manipulation because they cannot dip their hands in their pockets to satisfy the office.
A teacher, entrusted with shaping young minds, would openly endorse a poorly written book just to pocket a meagre two thousand shillings, sometimes even less. How tragic that the future of our children can be auctioned at such a cheap price! But again, corruption is everywhere, right? And the teachers, too, have a stomach, right?
This corruption is undermining the very foundation of our education system. It breeds mediocrity, kills creativity, and robs learners of the opportunity to access genuine knowledge.
Unless this rot is uprooted, we risk raising a generation taught not by merit, but by manipulation, a generation misled by the very people meant to enlighten them.
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And then we wonder why students nowadays perform so dismally. The answer is simple: when mediocrity is institutionalized, excellence becomes an accident.
These are the teachers who would, in turn, look for “Prediction Exams, for students to cram! (A topic for another day)”
I am one person who has been deeply saddened by the extinction of the iconic JKF publications, especially *Primary Mathematics.* It died not because it lacked quality, but because corruption choked it to death. No book ever comes close to PM in structure, clarity, and organization.
Today, most books are shoddy imitations, hastily thrown together by publishers who know that success depends not on content, but on connections. All they need is to sit down with a teacher and smile.
(I must appreciate, too, *Oxford Publishers…* Very genuine, and won’t give you a penny because they believe in quality first, quality second, and quality third!)
Having been privileged to head a few schools, I saw this rot firsthand. To curtail it, I made sure the selection of books was done transparently and collectively.
Every subject teacher would propose three top textbooks, and then a panel comprising the deputy, the senior teacher, and the subject heads, would deliberate and vote on the final choices. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it restored integrity, fairness, and professionalism to the process. We also did selections early in August before the corrupt publishers would come. Decision made!
The future of our children is too precious to be gambled away on backroom deals and brown envelopes. Education must return to its rightful pedestal, a place where truth, excellence, and merit guide every decision.
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As a self-publisher of two approved readers: *The Mask in a Smile and Other Stories* and *The Envelope of Tears and Other Stories,* I want to express my deepest gratitude to the teachers who have recognised the sweat, sacrifice, and sincerity behind my work.
You have seen how these books stand out, not only because of their captivating stories, but also because of the careful sentence structures, comprehension exercises, and literary questions designed to add real value to learning.
These elements are meant to make reading both memorable for students and meaningful for teachers in their classroom work.
Above all, you have seen it worthy to raise the next Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Grace Ogot, so that there’s room for the next giants. God bless you.
To all the teachers who, on the basis of merit and integrity, have supported my books without demanding a single penny, thank you.
I am privileged to have so many friends here. Where would I be without you? Let’s build the future of these children fearlessly.
You are the true custodians of education, the silent heroes who choose quality over corruption. Thank you for the privilege of having my books in your booklist. I am blessed to be associated with you and with progress.
BY STEVE AMADI
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