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{
    "id": 1380727,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1380727/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 551,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ezekiel Machogu",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Education",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13458,
        "legal_name": "Ezekiel Machogu Ombaki",
        "slug": "ezekiel-machogu-ombaki"
    },
    "content": "the approved figure of Ksh22,240 per learner per annum, we gave Ksh17,456 because we could not give what we did not have or had not been given by this House. To address under-funding, we have continuously engaged the National Treasury and Parliament through the Departmental Committee on Education and the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Other issues, including inflation and escalation of food prices, are to be taken into consideration as well. We appeal to this honourable House to enhance the Ministry’s budget so that the capitation is provided at the approved rate. Once you give us the approved rate, I promise that we will not request parents to chip in or increase school fees at least for some years to come. Parents are equally facing other challenges. If we were to get the approved rate as our assessment, it would be adequate to support the needs and operations of schools. This is especially true in the schools that have an optimal enrolment. Considering the economies of scale, it is critical that this House supports the Ministry and schools by providing an adequate budget. In the meantime, and with the limited resources, we as a Ministry encourage schools to adopt measures to optimally use the capitation provided by the Ministry. Some of the measures we insist on are budget prioritisation and getting their priorities right. As much as they would want to do much, we do not have adequate funds for that. We encourage schools to engage in resource-sharing as much as possible. We insist on envisioned resource utilisation. This is for our public and students to continue learning. On guidance and counselling, we know the kind of challenges and emerging issues in our contemporary time. Those were never there in our schools. They include violence, drugs and substance abuse, mental health challenges and teenage pregnancies, among others. All those are very common in our schools. To mitigate this, there is a need for a strong investment in the guidance and counselling framework. One of the steps we have undertaken as a Ministry is to push the guidance and counselling departments in our public schools to include certain aspects. The first is policy development. We developed and implemented guidelines for the establishment and functioning of counselling departments in our schools. The guidelines provide a framework for the provision of guidance and counselling. They also emphasise the importance of those services in our schools. The other item is the training and professional development of the people we use as counsellors in our schools. We collaborate closely with stakeholders such as the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), NGOs and faith- based organisations to enhance the reach and impact of counselling services in our schools. We get students to discuss among themselves on the need of avoiding some of the social vices which can be harmful to them. Finally, and more importantly, we have engaged with faith-based sponsors of schools to provide chaplaincy services. The chaplaincy supports guidance and counselling services while also anchoring the learners in religious values. The Ministry is also working in anchoring the training of teachers particularly of religious subjects – that is Christian Religious Education (CRE) for Christians and Islam Religious Education (IRE) for Muslims. They can offer chaplaincy services where the sponsors are unable to do the same. Unlike the years when we grew up where you would be given instant discipline by the entire community if they found you doing something that is not proper, the society has now become a little individualised. People do not allow that and that is why we have to develop this to mitigate the challenges that we have in our schools. As we move on progressively, we are also monitoring the situation so that we can improve policies and the guidelines as set by the Ministry."
}