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{
    "id": 1525183,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525183/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 115,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Maragwa, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mary Njoroge",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13421,
        "legal_name": "Mary Wamaua Waithira Njoroge",
        "slug": "mary-wamaua-waithira-njoroge"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move that The Basic Education (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 59 of 2023) be now read a Second Time. This Bill seeks to amend Section 18 (2) of the Basic Education Act 2013, which states that the County Education Board may, in consultation with the National Education Board and relevant stakeholders, appoint a sub-county education office with clear function and powers. This provision uses the word \"may,\" indicating that it is not mandatory. I believe it is appropriate to consider the current structure of the County Education Board (CEB), which has the option to establish a sub-county office as a liaison. While the liaison office at the sub- county level plays a role, its functions are still subject to validation by the CEB. This has led to significant delays in critical educational functions such as school registration, the review of school management reports, and other administrative approvals. Counties with vast geographical jurisdictions covering multiple constituencies face particularly long delays in validating and approving issues. For instance, in Nairobi County, Kiambu County, and Nakuru County, urgent matters often take a long time to be processed by the CEB, after which they have to come to Jogoo House. By the time it gets back, a lot of time has been wasted. The sub-county education boards could handle many of these tasks more efficiently if we pass this amendment. Previously, under the old administrative structure before the 2010 Constitution, we had the District Education Board (DEB), which was responsible for legislating and managing educational institutions at the sub-county level, complementing the provincial and National Education Boards. I urge this House to agree to amend the current structure by reinstating the sub-county education boards to enhance efficiency and fast-track processes, reducing unnecessary delays. The replacement of the DEB model with liaison offices has resulted in many inefficiencies, creating bottlenecks in service delivery at the local level. This Bill was conceived after observing the delays and bureaucratic hurdles in school registration and administration due to the centralised nature of county education boards. This Bill proposes the following: first, the establishment of sub-county education boards, which will have the legal authority to oversee and manage education matters at the sub- county level. This change will reduce dependency on the county education boards for every decision. Much of what needs to be done regarding our learning institutions falls within the 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."
}