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"id": 185403,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/185403/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Dr. Otichilo",
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"speaker": {
"id": 131,
"legal_name": "Wilber Ottichilo Khasilwa",
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"content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister for Education for presenting very good Budget proposals which will go a long way in enhancing our education system. However, I would like to make a few remarks on some of the proposals that have been made, which are good. The first one, that is close to my heart, is the promotion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in our schools, particularly secondary schools, and even down to the primary schools. This is long overdue. We are in the 21st century when ICT is the key to everything. Therefore, it is important that we introduce ICT training in our schools at whatever cost. I would like to encourage the Ministry to go out of its way and source funding that can promote ICT development in our schools. This is the foundation for the development of this country. I also wish to encourage the Ministry to look forward and come up with a curricular for training in ICT. Currently, we have so many colleges training in ICT, yet they have no curricular. They give a variety of certificates, some of which are meaningless. So, I would like to see the Ministry take the lead and come up with a curriculum for primary and secondary schools, and even for tertiary institutions. To me, that would be a very important move. Regarding the issue of teachers, my colleagues have talked about the shortage of teachers, 2524 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 7, 2008 both in primary and secondary schools. I want to encourage the Ministry to come up with a bold decision and a plan on how to resolve this issue. I believe that if the Ministry comes up with a bold proposal on how to work on this issue of shortage of teachers, Members of this House will support it, because all of us have this problem. We are building infrastructure in all our constituencies using the CDF money, but we have no teachers. So, I would like to encourage the Minister to come up with some serious proposal, even if it is during the Supplementary Estimates, and I am sure this House will consider it, because we are all affected. This is an area that I want to highlight, because without teachers, we will do everything but we will not move ahead. My colleagues have also talked about school management and, particularly, about the appointment of principals and headmasters. That is a very important issue which the Ministry should take very seriously. You all know that schools that have good managers and principals always do well. We have examples where schools have deteriorated immediately after good teachers have left for other schools. So, the issue of training our managers, principals and headteachers before they are appointed is very important. They should have continuous training so that they are able to manage the schools very well. There is a lot of misappropriation of funds. Most of the upheavals and strikes in our schools are partly contributed by poor management. So, I believe that is an area that the Ministry should take very seriously. I am aware that the Ministry gives a lot of grants on infrastructure development, laboratories and so on. But I want to say that most of that money is not well spent in schools. I am aware that some money is given for infrastructure, but the school principals go ahead and spend it on recurrent expenditure. They even pay for buses. That is an area where we need a lot of supervision. We must make sure that, that money is given out. I want to concur with one of my colleagues that, probably, that money should be channelled through the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), for construction and building of schools. That is because when we give that money to the principals, they do want they want. That is an area where we have a lot of problems. CDF funds the same schools. Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) funds the same schools. The Ministry of Education gives grants to the same schools and you are shown the same classroom for those three fundings. That is where we have some form of corruption. So, we need to streamline that, so that we are very clear. The teachers should be well remunerated. That is a fact and we should not overlook it. However, we must follow the right channels. I am one of the people who believe in performance contracts. That is because wherever I have worked, I have worked on performance contracts and I have done very well. I believe teachers should be given performance contracts depending on where there are. The fact that the schools have different facilities and problems--- The performance contract takes care of that, depending on what you have. So, this is an area where we need to look at. I know my colleagues have divergent views, but performance contracts is the \"in thing\" everywhere. On the issue of bursaries, I know you have issued a new circular which changes the membership. That is an area again where Members of Parliament are not aware. So, I think you need to bring that to the attention of Members of Parliament because some of them have already appointed members to the bursary committees. But, personally, I have seen a circular which is completely different from what was being used. So, this is an area that the Minister should take up. Otherwise, we will have a lot of problems with our colleagues because they have appointed some of the members of those committees. On the issue of tuition, this is a very serious matter. I think my colleagues have also talked about it. The Ministry should come out with clear guidelines---"
}