TITLE:
Towards Efficient School Textbook Procurement and Distribution in the Khomas Region, Namibia
AUTHORS:
Onesmus A. Aloovi, Nico Sisinyize
KEYWORDS:
School Textbooks, Procurement, Distribution, Supply Chain Management, Digital Technologies
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.17 No.10,
October
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: Efficient school textbook procurement and distribution are essential for effective curriculum implementation, quality teaching and equitable access to learning resources. Despite Namibia’s National Textbook Policy and established public procurement framework, participants in the Khomas Region reported challenges relating to procurement delays, inventory management, logistics, stakeholder coordination and textbook availability. The study examined strategies for improving the efficiency of school textbook procurement and distribution in the Khomas Region of Namibia. The study was underpinned by Supply Chain Management Theory, which emphasises the integration of demand forecasting, procurement, inventory management, logistics and distribution to ensure that resources reach end-users at the right time, in appropriate quantities and at acceptable cost. An interpretivist paradigm and qualitative exploratory research design were adopted. Seventeen purposively selected participants were drawn from the Ministry of Education, the Khomas regional education office, schools and private textbook suppliers. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and analysis of the National Textbook Policy, the Public Procurement Act, 2015, and the National Institute for Educational Development’s 2024 impact study on the implementation of the National Textbook Policy. The data were analysed using a combined deductive-inductive thematic approach. The findings indicate that, although the centralised procurement system promotes standardisation, accountability and compliance, participants reported lengthy approval procedures, fragmented communication, delayed budget disbursements, inadequate transport capacity, weak inventory management and inaccurate demand information. Participants also reported instances of textbook shortages and the use of coping measures such as textbook sharing and photocopying. Integrated digital procurement platforms, electronic inventory management, barcode-based tracking, improved stakeholder collaboration and selective decentralisation were identified as potential strategies for strengthening supply-chain responsiveness and accountability. The findings indicate that technology alone is insufficient and must be accompanied by institutional capacity development, reliable financing and governance improvements. The study concludes that improving textbook provision requires an integrated, responsive and data-informed education supply chain that balances national oversight with operational flexibility while recognising that the empirical evidence reflects the experiences of the study participants and the documents reviewed.