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{
    "id": 1214762,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1214762/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kathiani, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Robert Mbui",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "secondary schools, and they needed to prepare for it. However, what I am seeing is a spirit of confusion which we must find a way to deal with. First and foremost, I want to qualify the spirit of confusion. Junior secondary school (JSS) classes were built in secondary schools, and then their implementation is now being done in primary schools where there are no classes. Class VII students are in secondary school while Class VIII students are still in primary school. Further confusion is when you find Class VII students wearing trousers and their bigger brothers are still in shorts and in a more junior school. I have also observed that the Ministry of Education came up with a plan that said not every primary school will be allowed to have junior secondary school. So, they said that in some of the schools, the children will be moved to other schools. What has happened is that Grade Seven students have left a school which had a class that was already built and with teachers, to go to another school that has no new classroom, with an increased population and with no extra teachers. What is more confusing than that? I think that we really have a problem. My colleague, Hon. Kaluma, has said that the idea of a teacher teaching fourteen subjects is totally unusual and impossible. It is, therefore, important that we deal with this thing properly. The textbooks are not even enough. Some of the subjects like art and music do not even have textbooks up to now. This is because nobody wants to invest in something that is going to be optional, and they are not too sure how many people will buy them. So, we have a problem even with the basic materials required for this system. Hon. Temporary Speaker, what has happened and what is most annoying for us is that during this period of drought and hardships, headteachers in some of those schools have taken advantage. They have introduced admission fees and fees for new uniforms, which is not necessary. Children can finish schooling with the clothes they were wearing before. They now must carry new lockers, while they could have used the ones they were using before. Headteachers have also introduced school feeding programmes because they are now in Grade Seven, which is considered as secondary school, and they now have to start paying fees. It is really unfortunate, and it is something that we need to completely condemn with the strongest terms possible. The rain started beating us when we allowed the Ministry of Education to completely disregard Article 94(5) of the Constitution, which says: “No person or body, other than Parliament, has the power to make provision having the force of law in Kenya except under authority conferred by this Constitution or by legislation.” If we had put our foot down when this thing was being started, we would have been able to discuss further and sort it out. My proposal is that all primary schools must be allowed to continue having junior secondary schools. The idea of moving children from one school to another is preposterous. It is important that they continue where they are. I heard the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education saying that where a child starts in Grade One, they should go all the way up to Grade Nine and Grade Twelve. Why are they chasing them now? Many children will drop out, and many of them will be discouraged. So, it is important that we do that. Finally, we must invest in classes and labs in all our primary schools for this system to work. Otherwise, we need to deal with the confusion and maybe put it up for prayers, because we are a ‘praying nation’."
}