The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) has started a wide scale distribution of textbooks to all schools operating under the 12-Year Basic Education (12YBE) programme.

The exercise was launched on Wednesday at Groupe Scolaire Kicukiro, by the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Mathias Harebamungu.

In an interview, Harebamungu said the move will facilitate instilling the culture of reading among students at a much more tender age.

He said the books distributed include teaching guides, novels and recreational books.

"Teachers should not keep these books in their shelves; they should instead read them and pass on the knowledge gained to the students and inculcate into them a culture of reading because a reader today is a leader tomorrow," Harebamungu said.

According to Harebamungu, the government spends over Rwf 2 billion on text books every year. He added that there is need for all schools to properly maintain the books they receive.

He said that apart from books, the ministry also distributed science kits such as microscopes and other science equipment to over 350 12-YBE schools in the country.