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{
"id": 1476567,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1476567/?format=api",
"text_counter": 118,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nairobi City County, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Esther Passaris",
"speaker": null,
"content": "amount of capitation on time, then the schools are going to be auctioned. Some of the schools right now have many debts. Basically, we need to conduct an audit about what it will cost to have free education. I know that we have free education, but there are very many hidden costs. The hidden costs come in the form of uniforms, which are very expensive, and it is a cartel and a racket in itself; the hidden cost comes from the school board of management and parents' association, asking for money from the parents; and the hidden cost comes in the feeding programmes . Dishi na County in Nairobi is working for primary schools. We should also make it work for secondary school and make sure that it is fortified and has a variety. I have heard students also complain that even if we are giving free food, we have to give something that is of quality. Students want variety. I have heard Nairobi students asking for chapati, not rice and ndengu or beans every day. When I speak about the amalgamation of all the bursaries, it is not only about us because we know that that is not going to be enough. But as leaders, if we make the first step and say we are not going to get involved in bursaries, we should oversee the Ministry, provide resources and go to our constituents to talk to them about the need to have money for education. We have set aside money for the Housing Levy. Should we think about an education levy in the future where money is collected specifically for education? Parents will not oppose it because it will ensure that their children receive free education from Early Childhood Development (ECD) all the way to secondary school. In the end, they will be under the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the funding model, where they will get the loans. If we merge all the bursary schemes into a single fund managed by the State Department for Education, we will eliminate duplication, ensure standardisation and increase efficiency in the fund management. What do I mean by duplication? Some people know how to apply for bursaries. They apply for bursaries at the ward, from the Member of Parliament, and the Woman Representative. They go everywhere, but many do not know. This is like a lady who finally managed to reach me yesterday. But even if she had reached me earlier, the fund was not enough. We are discriminative. Why should one child get a bursary and not another? Why are leaders not fighting for free, basic and compulsory education? Let us give up this fund which causes us not to oversee the Ministry of Education properly. Let the Ministry come back and give us an answer, which will be a step in the right direction on how much money we need to fund education. We have development partners and private sector partners like Wings to Fly and MasterCard. We have many people funding education. Can we pool all those resources and ensure that every child in Kenya, up to secondary, goes to school for free? On boarding schools, it is very disheartening to see children walking with mattresses and big boxes, going to boarding school. Let us equip the schools and let them show up in school to learn. Let us put up all the facilities in the school. What will it cost for us to do that? Let us have an audit and start the process so that we can ensure that we live up to the promises that we made to Kenyans as enshrined in our Constitution. These reforms will ensure that every student, regardless of their socio-economic background, has equitable access to quality education. Funds will reach those who need them without delay or discrimination, without mothers and fathers having to tarmac and without children having to be sent home from school. By covering all costs associated with basic education, the reforms will reduce dropout rates in secondary school, thus enabling more students to complete their studies. In addition, families will be relieved of the burden of struggling to cover school costs not currently covered by bursaries, such as exam fees, uniforms, and materials thus promoting financial stability at the household level. Allow me to emphasise that providing free basic education is a responsibility that the Government must uphold. Reforming the bursary system is not just a policy change, but a moral and constitutional obligation that will ensure that no child is denied an opportunity to 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."
}