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{
    "id": 1472557,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1472557/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 253,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kathiani, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Robert Mbui",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "teachers. The problem is not just the number of teachers, but their competence is also a matter of concern. How many teachers are prepared in this country to teach these subjects? Our graduate teachers are trained to teach two subjects, say, English and Literature; Kiswahili and CRE; or Geography and Business Studies. That is the kind of training we have in our universities today. Who is going to teach Integrated Science, Health Education, Pre- technical Studies, Sports Education and all those other subjects? To compound it even further, in the wisdom of the Ministry, instead of reducing the number of subjects in CBC, they have condensed the subjects and combined them. That means that there are subjects that are being taught and offered to be taught in our schools that have no trained teachers, not only in Kenya, but even in Africa and the world. There are some subjects that have been combined. There is no one technically capable of teaching those subjects. However, every day the bell rings, someone walks into the class and teaches. What professional qualification do they have to teach these combined subjects? They are putting together three, four or five different subjects that require different skills and training. What do we need to do, Hon. Temporary Speaker? Today, I want to encourage Members to try and offer solutions. I have a few that I want to offer because I know that education is the future of this country. In fact, that is one of the reasons youngsters came here and wanted to take over the House. We must do things right; not just for the Gen Z, but even for the Gen Alpha and the ones that are yet to be born. We must make sure that we do things that are going to make this country competitive in the community of nations, so that our graduates from Kenya can contribute in this world. What solutions do I offer, Hon. Temporary Speaker? First, let us expedite the release of funds. As we sit here, there is the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) money from the last financial year that has never been released. Members would have probably put up some of these classes if the money had been released. If the money is not released to the constituencies, where Members can go and oversee, then it means that we have a problem that is still growing. There was also money that was supposed to be allocated to the Ministry of Education to help in putting up the classes. That must be expedited. Any debts in the Ministry of Education must be cleared immediately. Secondly, we must increase the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Education for purposes of solving this problem. This is an emergency. When we had COVID-19, we spent billions of shillings. Now we have Mpox, and I hear Ksh6.5 billion is supposed to be spent. We can spend any last cent of Kenyan money to solve this problem. We do not want our children to be loitering in the streets in January because there are no classes. I know the Ministry is likely to create a situation or a solution: they are likely to combine classes so that Grade 1 and Grade 2 will be put together. That means we will be compromising the quality of education. Our children are made to walk for long distances to schools far away only so that they can access larger classrooms. I believe that the solution is to provide money, and that money must come from the Budget even if it means this House re-allocates some money. We must look for money to provide a solution to this problem. I want to advise the Ministry that every time someone is appointed to be Minister or a new regime comes into place, you do not have to come up with a new education system. In 2013, we were treated to an issue of laptops; that every child going to Grade 1 or Standard 1 as it was referred to then, would have a laptop. Today, those children are in university. They never saw a laptop. After two or three years, they were promised tablets. Those tablets are not even there. They were bought and after one year, they were destroyed. There was no planning. This is the Ministry that plans for the future. We must plan for education. We must make sure that we put our things right so that we can provide and help the country."
}