The People ­ Monday
Date: 05.08.2013
Page 12
Article size: 309 cm2
ColumnCM: 68.66
AVE: 86657.33
PUBLISHERS MUST HIT ICT
SUPERHIGHWAY OR PERISH
Instead of the publishing in­
dustry players concentrating in
urging the government to ex­
empt learning materials from
the lax, they should instead
read the signs and re­align
TWO policy programmes by
the Jubilee government should
forewarn the local book pub­
lishing industry that it is time
to re­invent or perish.
First the government appears
determined to implement the
one laptop per child for Stand­
ard One pupils joining public
schools as from next year.
Secondly, last week on Thurs­
themselves in readiness to take
a ride ICT Superhighway
Paper reading and learning
materials will soon be rendered
prehension in real lime.
If the laptop project will not
'analogue' as people embrace
technology.
Once the government man­
ages to give each student in
school a Reader, tablet or lap­
top, the syllabus and other
day MPs stalled the passing of
This should not be a surprise
the VAT Bill on personal rea­
because most elite schools in
sons rather than the merits
the West have fully embraced
technology in the leaching and
learning process.
sound the death knell for the
Once students enter the
The Bill seeks to introduce
instructional materials will be
loaded in these devices and
of the bill. The Bill will most
likely be passed in the coming
days without much fuss.
publishing industry, the VAT
Bill 2013 will.
should worry the local books
publishing industry because
if they come to pass, their for­
tunes will be hugely dented,
unless they re­format their op­
classroom, instead of looking
at the blackboard, they go on­
line and open up their teacher's
webpage. Tbey then go to the
day's lesson and open up the
student activity guide
tax for books and stationery,
which are currently zero­rated.
But once the Bill is passed, all
erations to be in line with the
This directs them to a docu­
distribution chain will also in­
ment on their desktop from
where they start doing their
crease the cover price of these
Whether the government
settles for a laptop, tablet or
Reader for pupils, one tiling is
for sure—time is coming when
class work. Locally I know of
a private company with over
one hundred and thirty low
all the classroom instruction
cost academies where all the
The industry has also argued
materials ranging from teachers
teachers use tablets to give
that, the Government will also
and students textbooks, read­
scripted learning instructions
to all pupils. These tablets are
configured to display scripted
These two programmes
changing times.
the learning materials will at­
tract 16 per cent tax.
The book production and
learning materials. All these
will be passed to parents who
will pay almost twice the cur­
rent price.
devices hence pushing paper
students' attendance and as­
instructional materials to the
sessment scores, and also track
have to increase funding to the
Free Primary and Secondary
^duration progammes, which
currently stands at Sh 1,020 per
pupil in public primary schools
to buy stationery, textbooks
annals of hi story.
lesson pacing and pupil com­
and readers.
ing books, story books, and
exercise books, to homework
books will all be stored in tech
lessons, record teachers' and
money allocated to buy books
will be scraped or reallocated.
Soon even adult consum­
ers of other print materials will
also turn to online to buy or
read their newspapers, bible,
novel and academic journals
adding to the publishers in
agony. But it is nothing per­
sonal because before the print­
ing press, people used to learn
from one another.
In the coming days, people
will switch to digital technolo­
gies to access learning materi­
als. The publishing industry
should decide to be either an
actor or a victim of circum­
stances.
[email protected]
Ipsos Synovate Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya