Textbooks For SELF Program
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
June 19, 2012 (CUOPM)
The 15-year-old Student Education Learning Fund (SELF) textbook distribution programme has been reviewed.
Minister of Information, the Hon. Nigel Carty, who is also the Minister of Education said in undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the operation of the SELF book programme, the Department of Education has identified and is seeking to address a range of issues.
“These include book distribution policies, record-keeping and inventory, student accountability, budgetary support, care for and longevity of books, and the need for streamlining the selection of subject texts across schools,” he said in a post-cabinet briefing.
“It was found that schools have adopted disparate policies for textbook distribution and management, proper record-keeping has lapsed at several schools, there is not enough accountability with respect to accessing and returning textbooks, there are increased budgetary requirements as a consequence of the increasing cost of texts and books quickly fall into a state of disrepair,” Minister Carty said.
He said in response, the Department of Education proposes to establish a committee to identify, select and streamline texts to be used by all schools, introduce regular stock-taking of the SELF book programme, create a comprehensive database to assist in the management of the programme, consider the introduction of a maintenance contribution from students to ensure longevity of the texts and their replacement.
He said these new measures are to be instituted by September 2012