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{
    "id": 185153,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/185153/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 175,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Otieno",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister of State for Public Service",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, within the short time, I want to say that when the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, intelligence is randomly distributed throughout the country and the world. The only difference is how you develop the human resource. Education is the major source of inequalities and continuing inequalities in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, investment in education is certainly long term. If it were me, having observed the manner in which the Minister for Education, his Permanent Secretary and several officers are working so hard to make things possible when they are impossible due to constraints in resources, I would have recommended the budget for this Ministry, big as it is, to be increased by 30 per cent. Why do I say so? Kenyans love education but the results are now showing that in any great city in this world wherever you go, you will find Kenyans who went there because of their education. When you look the remittance Kenyans bring back to Kenya, it is because we were able to educate them. Now that we have free education, we should do a good job without any fear. Resources should be found for this Ministry so that the results can be seen. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, teacher shortages and even the allocation of teachers based on classroom sizes--- Teachers should be posted based on the number of students, even if they are going to be taught under trees. The teachers should be paid and a standard should be developed for teachers to perform in accordance with. We saw a ridiculous basis of posting additional teachers proportionately based on shortages. This means that if a district already had 97 per cent of its requirement and was only short by 3 per cent, it still gets a proportional share of the additional teachers posted. This is one place in which we need your intervention. First, bring the whole country into equity as far as teachers are concerned. If the shortage is 20 per cent nationally, it should be 20 per cent in all districts. However, you allow recruitment but some districts continue to be below 60 per cent of staff provision. Others that were already 80 per cent provided for are still getting the extra out of the shortfall that is employed. The objective in allocating additional employment of teachers should be first to achieve equitable distribution of teachers in accordance with the number of children enroled in the schools. If you are going to provide 70 per cent of the teachers requirement, it should be 70 per cent throughout the country not 90 per cent in some districts and 60 per cent in others. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other area is the management skills amongst head teachers. There should be a very clear curriculum and basis of promotion to be a head teacher after one has passed a certified course to be able to manage schools. This is not only to manage children but also manage colleagues; the other teachers. I think that area is still lacking. My Ministry is willing to work together with the Ministry of Education to give teachers the managerial skills necessary to be managers of schools. Right now, teachers want to be promoted to be head teachers but the capability to manage others is lacking until we polish those skills. 2600 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 8, 2008 I think the Ministry should do a little more and be given more resources to support the development of physical facilities on the basis of some clear affirmative action. The Ministry knows where action is required but there are constraints. This means that the inequality continues throughout the country in the very eyes of the administrators of our education system. There should be a basis of getting additional resources so that equity can be enhanced in the promotion of education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is a rush to turn a number of middle level colleges into universities. This may be a dangerous trend and the Ministry for Higher Education, Science and Technology and Ministry of Education must agree on how far this process should continue in the country. We are absorbing teacher training colleges as if primary education does not matter and as if quality in teacher training does not matter. I believe that a lot more should be done on that. With regard to salaries, I support harmonisation of teachers' salaries with those of civil servants as a priority. That should be covered under the current negotiations before we talk of any other increases of teachers' salaries. The figures involved may be large but priority must be given to education in this country. Kenyans have proved that through education, they are able to work in every Ministry in South Africa, every department in Namibia and several in Sudan. Teachers' salaries must be provided for and let that priority be heard. I beg to support."
}