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{
    "id": 1474670,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1474670/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 189,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr Julius Ogamba",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Education",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "of bursaries and scholarship was identified by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms. The working party noted that there are various sources of funding available, but they were fragmented and uncoordinated, leading to some students benefiting from multiple awards while leaving many others without. The Government is spending heavily on education. The current expenditure on education against the Budget is 27 per cent. This is well beyond the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommended rate of between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of the annual public expenditure. Although we are spending this amount, we are still experiencing lower outcomes, which can be attributed to inefficiencies in the allocation of resources in the sector. To address this challenge, one of the recommendations by the working party was to create a coordinated framework for scholarships and bursaries across all the levels of education. In this regard, we have developed Bills. One is the Basic Education Bursaries and Scholarships Bill, 2024, establishing a bursaries and scholarships fund to coordinate and administer scholarships and bursaries in public education. The council will also provide oversight on the governance of scholarships in the country and maintain a database on the administration and coordination of scholarships in the country. We have also developed the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2024, which creates the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Authority. The Authority will have the mandate of placing students in tertiary institutions and granting loans and scholarships. It will also maintain a database on tertiary education placement and funding. The Bills were subjected to stakeholder validation on 1st March 2024, and public participation from 28th February 2024 to 15th March 2024. They are awaiting cabinet approval after which we will submit them to this House for further processing. We will welcome the support of this honourable House towards debating and passing these bills as they are the necessary foundation towards ensuring that resources in the education sector are optimally utilised. The next question requires me to state the amount of money in the form of capitation disbursed to public universities for the current academic year. Capitation is disbursed on a monthly basis. The capitation disbursed for this academic year for continuing students in our universities is Ksh3.8 billion, which is for the month of July and August 2024. A total of Ksh28 billion has been disbursed as scholarships for first-year students under the student-centred funding model, and a further Ksh5.8 billion has been disbursed by the Higher Education Loans Board for student loans. The last question requires me to provide a comprehensive report on steps taken by the Ministry of Education to enhance security and safety standards in schools to ensure a safe learning environment for students. May I take this opportunity, once again, to express my sympathies and condolences to the families of the 21 young learners who lost their lives in the fire incident at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County. That was a most unfortunate and regrettable tragedy. We must ensure that such never happens again. The fire broke out in the boys' dormitory at around 11.30 p.m. on the night of 5th September 2024. There were 164 boys in the dormitory at the time. The school had a total enrolment of 843 learners that is made up of 421 boys and 422 girls. Three hundred and thirty students were boarders. At the moment, the 330 learners who were in the school at the time of the tragedy have all been accounted for. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has cordoned off the scene and continues to undertake investigations into the cause of the fire. A multi-agency team was conducting DNA analysis to identify the deceased students. The Government is covering the bills of the students who were injured and were in hospital and will also be providing the learners and their families with psychosocial support. In the meantime, the Ministry is undertaking an internal investigation to ascertain the school's compliance with the requisite safety standards. We have committed to take appropriate action if this internal assessment reveals failure on the part of our officers. 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."
}