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"id": 211210,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/211210/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Karaba",
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"speaker": {
"id": 232,
"legal_name": "Daniel Dickson Karaba",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion. THAT, aware of the high drop-out rate in our public secondary schools arising out of the inability of parents to pay school fees, further aware that the Government has instituted various measures and reforms to address the challenges related to access, quality and equity of education; this House urges the Government to establish a fund to be known as the Education Levy Fund to provide for school fees for students from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion is coming at a time when most parents cannot afford to take their children to private schools. They cannot also meet the demands of various public schools. As a result, it is only the children from advantaged families who access good and quality education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in urban centres, we find that most pupils in private academy schools access very good facilities. However, in the rural areas, most schools do not have enough facilities. This is not a fault of their own. It is a pity that parents in those regions are not able to equip those schools. So, students in those schools cannot access quality education. They cannot be equal to those who are in urban schools or in private academy schools. It is only pupils from those private schools who perform very well in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). When they join Form One, we find that their shopping list surpasses the first term fees. This is because their parents are endowed with a lot of money. This, therefore, will lock out majority of the rural students who will not even have had good educational backgrounds. This fund will make it possible for those students who cannot afford quality education to access secondary school education . Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, what is even worse is when they are admitted to secondary schools, they cannot afford the fees. We all know the recommended fees by the Ministry for day school is Kshs8,500, for provincial schools is Kshs22,000 and for national schools is Kshs25,000. This is not what we get on the ground. Some of the national schools in this country charge as high as even Kshs60,000. Some provincial schools may charge between Kshs30,000 and Kshs40,000. There is a very high disparity in terms of those who can afford and those who cannot. So, in essence, those who would have afforded to take their children to academies are the same people who will also afford to take them to those secondary schools. So, the same students will end up doing well in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examinations (KCSE). Most of them will go to university. In the university, they will pursue what we call superior courses like engineering, medicine and so forth. Those students who will not have made it to the university level, will end up being condemned and yet, they are our children. This Motion seeks to establish a fund that will be able to cater for those bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Those students who, otherwise, would not afford to even join August 1, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2901 primary and secondary schools or even the university. This Motion is, therefore, seeking to address the inequality in our society. It is not only seeking equality in education, but also in life. We know that those who will go to universities will end up getting employment opportunities, whereas those who will not make it, will be condemned to suffering and they might not access employment opportunities. This will make those who will afford high quality and quantity education to continue leading a better life. We will end up with a society made up of \"haves\" and \"have-nots\". Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I ask hon. Members to support this Motion, so that the Government sets up the Education Levy Fund. This levy will be able to cater for those students even if they do not get bursaries from the Ministry of Education. The Government provides only Kshs800 million as bursary. This money is not enough to cater for those who cannot afford school fees. I am aware that from next year, the tuition fees will be waived. That is just a waiver of Ksh3,600 per student. Let me also address the Kshs3,600. Out of school fees of Kshs25,000, Kshs3,600 is just a drop in the ocean. That will not even assist children from poor families. We need to address this issue and see to it that those who come from those disadvantaged areas, at least, are brought to the same level with those who can afford. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in this case, we are trying to compare ourselves with other countries in Africa and elsewhere, particularly South East Asia. In those countries, education is given prominence in terms of industrial or economic development. Without sound educational background, our country will not be able to continue with economic development. A sound educational background is important to both those who can afford it and those who cannot afford it. We need to assist them. The only way they can be assisted is by subsidising school fees in form of bursaries. These bursaries can only come from a kitty in the name of the Education Levy Fund. That is what the Motion is seeking to address. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have other levies which have been instituted in this country. This will not be the first one. We have levies on roads. We use this Levy to repair our roads. We have the Hotels and Catering Levy and other levies which augment economic activities in our country. The Education Levy Fund will supplement the bursary of Kshs800 million which is not enough. This is the mood of the Motion. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am asking hon. Members here to understand that if we do not address this issue of inequality and accessibility to education, we will condemn very many students in schools. We might even condemn more than three-quarters of students in the rural areas. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Free Primary Education Programme (FPEP) was introduced in this country in 2003. It led to an increase of more than 2 million children in our primary schools. That shows that we will have 9 million primary school pupils who will be completing Standard Eight. May be, it is only one million of them who will complete secondary education. This will be a very low rate. It is less than 40 per cent. That tells you that there is need to have more children enroling in our primary schools, so that many of them access secondary education. It is a pity that when we have Form One selection, half of the candidates miss places in Form One. They miss Form One places because, first they have no money, secondly even the facilities are not there to cater for the increasing number of students. Thirdly, some of the schools do not have such facilities. If this Fund is created, it is going to provide those facilities in our needy rural secondary schools and also boost the primary schools so that those in primary schools can continue with secondary school education and use the facilities which are adequate. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have very many compulsory subjects which have been introduced by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). Some of those compulsory subjects are those that even an ordinary rural school set-up cannot afford. In the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) one has to pass in two subjects; that is English and Mathematics. 2902 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 1, 2007 These are compulsory subjects. Then you have to pass a minimum of two science subjects. That is, Chemistry, Physics and Biology. Those are now four. A student has also to pass Mathematics and one or two humanities. That means that if a school is not properly endowed with the science equipment, it would be very hard for that rural school to contribute positively in the country, in terms of who joins the university. That is the reason why if we had this Fund, we would have more students enroled in secondary schools pursuing these courses and the same students will continue taking sciences even at the university level. They cannot even afford to take the science subjects or computer studies because they did not study those subjects in secondary because of lack of facilities. The lack of facilities is because they have no funds. The parents cannot afford. There is nobody else to supplement the bursary. Therefore, the student is condemned to live in poverty throughout his or her life. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if there was a fund introduced by the Government so that it can be used to pay fees for those students who cannot afford to go to secondary schools, I am sure that those students will lead a better educational life and they will continue to the university. In the end, they will be useful citizens in the society. We are not talking out of ignorance. There are people who have attempted to do this and have paid money in form of scholarships. I am aware that we have the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation which awards scholarships, although they are very few. We have foundations like the Rattansi Foundation. Others are personal like the Kalonzo Musyoka Educational Fund and other funds which have been established. These funds aim at paying fees for those who cannot afford. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other Fund is from Members of Parliament. Most of the time Members of Parliament go around raising fees for those students who cannot afford secondary school education, in the university or overseas. Since education is a human right, we need to make sure that our children are educated. That is the only way we can talk about an educated society. We are, therefore, missing the point by not educating that person who requires that education. We are, therefore, asking the Ministry of Education to consider embracing more other foundations which are available, so that we can add to the Kshs800 million bursary kitty, so that it can be beefed up to Kshs2 billion. We have seen several funds being started, for example, the Women Enterprise Fund and the Youth Enterprise Fund which were allocated billions of shillings. But in the education sector, you just find a paltry Kshs800 million. So, if we could create a fund and we put more money into it, I am sure we are going to have our children get access to quality education in our rural areas. That way, we are going to promote national good and good citizenry. Those students are going to love this country because if you condemn somebody not to continue with education, then you are condemning him for life. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Committee has gone around the country assessing the quality of education which has been prompted by the increased number of students arising from the free primary education. What we get in the rural areas is disappointing. In some schools, one teacher is teaching close to 200 pupils in Standard One. Standards Two and Three, in some areas, have been combined in order to be taught by one teacher. To me this is something which would not be there if we had proper planning and enough money. Since money is the problem, we are always talking about the growth of the economy to 6.1 per cent and the increased earnings from tourism, which is the leading foreign exchange earner. There is also a lot of money generated by various private sector investors. Why can we not approach them and ask the Government to create that fund where everybody will put some money, even if it is a Shilling? Then that fund will go towards the right direction. That is, to pay fees for those who cannot afford to pay. Recently, we endorsed a form compelling heads of schools to release certificates which they had retained. That is because the fees arrears owed by parents and August 1, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2903 others who cannot afford school fees was totalling Kshs15 billion. That is not the fault of the heads of schools. It is as a result of the inability of the student to pay the fees. If the heads of schools could be given that money earlier, so that the students are given their certificates, we would be having them employed by now. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is a pity to find that nowadays nobody can be interviewed without a certificate. It is the fault of the system that we have. So, if the system can allow the creation of this fund, I am sure this money will go to the payment of fees in form of bursaries in the areas where students cannot afford. I am sure that we are going to create intelligent students and citizens of this country. These are the same students we are going to use to advance the economic development of this country. So, if we are going to talk about industrialization of this country, we should first talk about the improvement of education standards in our country. Unless our education standards are improved, we should not think about anything industrial or developmental. We are only going to blame one another and in the end, we will not make any headway. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Committee also visited the South East Asian countries. What we learnt from Malaysia is that, most of those people who make a certain level of profits have to subscribe some money to a fund called Education Levy. That Education Levy is treated like a bursary so that those students who pass and cannot afford to pay fees, are encouraged to continue. In the end, they are even sponsored by private companies and people who are rich. Since many of them have demonstrated that they can support education, why can we not then start off this fund? I am sure that once this fund is instituted, it is going to be a waiver to very many students who could not have afforded to join Form One and university for the parallel degree programme and the overseas universities. Majority of the students who cannot afford to do that resort to doing other things. Those are the ones that we treat as criminals and it is not their fault. It is because they could not afford to pay for their education. I am, therefore, appealing to the entire House to understand that unless that happens, we are not likely to transcript into good education background of our country. Therefore, we will not be talking about high standards of education in our country. We cannot even talk about computer literate persons, engineers, doctors and teachers. Those other people will only be drawn from a background which is rich in terms of educational backgrounds. For that reason, therefore, I call upon hon. Members to support this Motion because when it is supported and the Government sees the need of having this fund, we are going to increase the fund from Kshs800 million, which is set aside for bursary to, may be, something like Kshs2 billion to Kshs3 billion. Of course, this money will be seen to be going to really help those students who cannot afford. We have very many orphans who, of course, are as a result of various problems like HIV/AIDS, accidents and so forth. These orphans are the ones who are taking all the bursary money. But even after the bursary money is paid to a maximum of Kshs10,000, what happens to that student who is in a national school? Who will pay the balance of the money after the bursary has already met what is statutory? The statutory amount for bursary is only Kshs15,000 in the national school, Kshs10,000 to a boarder in a provincial school and Kshs5,000 to that day scholar. So, those students who are very bright, of course, will move to the national and provincial schools. But after paying the Kshs15,000 in national schools and Kshs10,000 in provincial schools, who pays the rest for an orphan? This fund, once created, will cater for the balance, after the Government has given out the bursary. That is all we are asking for. The waiver which will be there next year for tuition fees is Kshs3,000, but there are many other vote heads, for example, Boarding, Equipment and Stores (BES) fees which somebody has to take care of. There is also the ACF, LPT, Personal emoluments which caters for the employment of clerks and other kitchen hands, LMF and so forth, and so on. 2904 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 1, 2007 With those few remarks, I beg to move and call upon hon. Bahari to second this Motion."
}