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{
"id": 1025403,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1025403/?format=api",
"text_counter": 99,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Florence Mutua",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 539,
"legal_name": "Florence Mwikali Mutua",
"slug": "florence-mwikali-mutua"
},
"content": "few years no student from Isiolo County, had been admitted to pursue the traditionally perceived lucrative courses such as medicine, pharmacy, law, engineering and architecture among others. Our response is that all applicants regardless of their counties are given a fair chance to compete for programmes. They submit applications on the same platform and are subjected to uniform criteria. That, notwithstanding it should be noted that the placement of Government sponsored students to universities and colleges is based on merit and applicants listed choices. It is further determined by the declared capacity in each programme, which limits the number of Government sponsored students that can be admitted in a programme. The fewer the capacities, the more intense the competition gets. Question two reads, what measures has the Ministry put in place to ensure that application and selection of students from marginalised regions and in particular Isiolo County is done fairly including affirmative action and with a view to promote equity and balance for all applicants. Our response is, the Ministry through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), has put in place a placement policy. This ensures that the selection of students is subject to uniform criteria that all applicants must satisfy to be placed in a programme. The policy also ensures that applicants are ranked in their performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination and placed into programmes of their choice for which they qualify based on merit. In addition, the Ministry through KUCCPS has put in place an affirmative action policy for gender, persons with disability and marginalised regions. As a result of this policy, applicants from marginalised counties including Isiolo get a concession of up to two points on the cut-off points for various degree programmes after competitive placement. This, therefore, enables the Ministry to create additional opportunities in competitive programmes to applicants from marginalised counties, without exceeding the declared capacity of the programmes by more than 10 per cent. For example, in the past three years 41 students from Isiolo County have benefited from affirmative action. Of these 34 who had been competitively placed and moved to better courses. While seven who had initially missed out on competitive placement secured courses on affirmative action. Her last question was, what measures is the Ministry undertaking to ensure distribution of such courses is done equitably to students from all areas of the country. Our response is, the placement policy ensures that the selection of Government sponsored students is done on merit and considers applicants listed priorities. In addition, affirmative action is undertaken for persons with disability, gender and marginalised regions. The affirmative action is as follows; Affirmative action for minority and marginalised regions. This is achieved by lowering the cut-off points for specific programmes for up to two points subject to filling up to 10 per cent above the programmes declared capacity. The regions as previously classified by the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) include Isiolo County and the others are Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Samburu, West Pokot, Garissa, Tana River, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi and Narok. Lastly, affirmative action for gender is achieved by lowering the specific programme cut- off point by up to two points. Subject to attaining a representation of a third of either gender and not exceeding the declared capacity of the programme by more than 10 per cent. Affirmative action for persons with disability is achieved by; one, placing all the degree applicants with overall grade of C+(plus) and above under vision or hearing impairments into programmes of their choice. This is subject to meeting the minimum admission required for their choices. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}