About
Book Supply Chain
The World Bank’s Read@Home initiative supports the provision of reading materials for children in hard-to-reach households. To that end, The World Bank commissioned a study of the book supply chain in the Republic of Marshall Islands.
Challenge
One of the most important elements of a country’s education system are teaching and learning materials (TLM). Poor access to learning materials across the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) education system makes it difficult for students to learn. The World Bank commissioned BlueTree to conduct a study to analyse the availability of textbooks and other learning materials in RMI, and to examine other elements of the book supply chain.
Method
The study conducted by BlueTree was missioned to identify the main bottlenecks in the RMI book supply chain and recommend strategies to ensure timely access to quality and affordable materials. Following desk research, the research team interviewed and gathered information from various stakeholders within the Book Supply Chain, including donors, Public Sector Stakeholders and NGOs.
Result
BlueTree authored a report highlighting the main bottlenecks and recommendations in the book supply chain. One of the main bottlenecks found was the lack of availability of accurate and up to date data on textbooks and other reading materials, which is a significant hurdle to forecasting and planning. An effective data collection system is key in determining supply and demand and ensuring that schools and students receive the correct materials on time.
Another challenge is related to the geography of the islands, being many small and often distant islands, making the distribution and logistics complicated and expensive.