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"id": 213419,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/213419/?format=api",
"text_counter": 206,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Prof. Saitoti",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Education",
"speaker": {
"id": 205,
"legal_name": "George Muthengi Kinuthia Saitoti",
"slug": "george-saitoti"
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me begin by thanking all hon. Members for the various observations that they have made on the Vote of the Ministry of Education. I also want to assure them that, indeed, the Ministry will take very seriously the various comments that have been made. I also want to assure hon. Members that, in all our programmes and resource utilization, I shall continue to ensure equitable distribution across all the existing learning institutions. For the primary school money, it is allocated on capitation basis, with all the children getting equal allocation. For the infrastructure in primary schools, resources are allocated on the basis of assessment and working of school infrastructure. While I am on this, it is important that I mention here that in the initial stages of the implementation of free primary education, due to lack of resources, we were not able to intervene in terms of addressing the infrastructure. But in the beginning of last year and, of course, in this financial year, we will ensure that we intervene in the infrastructural rehabilitation and build classrooms where they are not available. That will be done because we take into account the various observations that are made by hon. Members. We have a number of classrooms that are dilapidated in nature. Other classes are just too small for children. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another thing that has been raised concerns the promotion of teachers. The promotion of teachers is guided by the scheme of service for teachers. First, there is a scheme of service for graduate teachers. They are in their own category all together. Then we have the scheme of service for non-graduate teachers. We also have a scheme of service July 18, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2635 for technical teachers and lecturers. Vacant positions for teachers are normally advertised in the print media. Teachers are promoted after interviews by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). There is also a provision for primary school teachers at grade P2 and AT3 to undergo a teacher proficiency test administered by the Ministry. Such teachers are promoted after they pass the examination at the end of the course. Let me also state here that we are very concerned over the fact that, we require to have as many teachers as possible, undoubtedly. That has not been possible because of resource constraints. I noted, and one hon. Member said it here that, apparently, the impression created here about the shortage of teachers is something that has been created by free primary education. That it is the cause of quality education. We have aimed, as much as possible, to ensure that teachers who leave the service because of one reason or the other - or what is globally called natural attrition - are replaced immediately. That was not the case prior to 2003. It is important, and it should be noted that in this particular budget, we have factored in resources to ensure that 11,000 teachers are going to be recruited. Out of that number, 7,000 teachers will clearly replace those who have left the service because of one reason or the other. For the first time, 4,000 new teachers are going to be employed. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have also done something which you may not have noted. We have provided a sum of about Kshs240 million to ensure that teachers who are employed by the board of governors and school committees on voluntary basis are given some token of some kind, especially where there are vacancies up to about three. In other words, it is not only the new additional 4,000 teachers that we are employing. We are also taking into account those teachers who are teaching in primary and secondary schools on voluntary basis. We are trying to take off the load from parents. This, I feel, is something which is very important. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue concerns quality assurance and standards. I stated in my opening remarks that we take issues on quality assurance and standards very seriously. Indeed, our position has always been that we do not want quantity to compromise quality. Our commitment to the children of this country is to ensure that we offer quality education. Towards that end, the Ministry has been addressing the issue of quality, especially through the quality assurance body. We have recruited 240 Quality Assurance officers who are being deployed to various stations. We have also approached the Public Service Commission (PSC) to ensure that we are able to recruit an additional 420 officers. Further, I would like to assure hon. Members that the Ministry considers internal quality assurance as key in the strengthening of institutional management and curriculum delivery as stipulated in Sessional Paper No.1 of 2005. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is one thing that should be noted. Although students in secondary schools were fewer by 2 million prior to the implementation of free primary education, the teachers were already very much de-motivated. The higher salaries that had been promised to them had not been honoured. When you have demoralised teachers, you do not expect them to teach properly. That is something which was happening. Another important thing that was happening prior to the implementation of free primary education is that text books were not available. Parents were being asked to purchase text books and to give funds for the buildings and yet, the text books were there. It has been universally demonstrated that if students do not have text books, there is no way quality can be guaranteed. It has also been empirically demonstrated, and we have evidence, that since the implementation of the free primary education, the scores in national examinations, both for Standard VIII and Form IV have gone up. We have even seen better quality and performance, especially in Mathematics. This is a subject which is extremely difficult. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another important area that I want to talk about is 2636 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 18, 2007 universities. Yes, we agree that there is a shortage of places at universities. This is what has warranted a very large number of our students seek to pursue higher education in other countries of the world. The Government is fully committed to ensure that it expands access to our universities. That is the reason that four university colleges have already been opened. They will begin offering courses in the next academic year. In addition, several campuses have been added to our universities. We believe that this will expand access to public universities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as a policy, we have decided that admission to public universities will no longer be pegged on availability of bed capacity. I also agree with those who said we need to address the issue of access and skill improvement at our two public polytechnics; Kenya Polytechnic here in Nairobi and Mombasa Polytechnic. They will also start offering degree courses in the technological fields. A point was also made here about the fact that we should offer incentives to the private sector for those who want to establish private universities. In the financial statement that was presented here by the Minister for Finance, a spectrum of incentives to those who want to establish private universities was announced. One of them will be in the form of taxation. The removal of Value Added Tax (VAT), is a subject which will come before this House when we discuss the Finance Bill. Secondly, some other infrastructural facilities will be provided such as roads, electricity and water, so as to make it much cheaper for those who want to set up universities here. This is extremely important. We will be moving in that direction to ensure that it happens. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another thing that I want to say very quickly has to do with quality as far as our universities are concerned. I stated when moving the Vote that the Education Act is being re-looked very carefully. One of the things that will be done in order to fulfil the promise we made, is to come up with a Sessional Paper with the aim of restructuring the Commission for Higher Education to broaden its mandate. Apart from giving certification for private universities to be chartered, it will have an extra responsibility to over-see the quality offered by both public and private universities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we will also promote internal mechanisms of ensuring that quality education is provided at the universities. On that note, it is false to keep on telling Kenyans that the quality of university education being provided in this country is inferior. There is evidence. Not too long ago, there was a competition of students drawn from all public universities in East Africa. This was televised. What was very clear is that students from our own universities performed much better than students from universities in Uganda, Tanzania and some other places. I do not know why we keep on mourning all the time that our universities are not doing better and yet, when our students are put to test, they do well. Not even that alone, those who graduate with undergraduate degree and go abroad for Masters and research degrees, end up doing extremely well. Finally, on research funds, when I joined the Ministry in 2003, I introduced in the Budget a line-item of research fund. That particular research fund is within the Ministry of Science and Technology. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, special education is an important area. The Vice President and Minister for Home Affairs dwelt on it at great length. It is an area that we attach a great deal of importance. All students with disabilities receive capitation grants like all other students. In addition, each of them get an additional Kshs2,000. We also intervene by providing substantial amount of grants to all the institutions both at primary and technical level to ensure they are able to provide education at a lower cost. This we believe is important because we have to provide education pegged on equity. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we also want to provide education which provides for July 18, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2637 access for all. We also want to provide an inclusive education when we provide quality education. We have put into place an array of measures to boost quality in our secondary schools, primary schools and in early childhood development. We pronounce ourselves that we will be part of basic education. That is in the Sessional Paper. However, it will start in the 2010. In the meantime, we have continued to train teachers in early childhood schools because we believe that it is an important foundation. I wish to end by assuring hon. Members that we have taken a bold step to make secondary education affordable. We believe it is important to broaden access to secondary education. Secondary education is the bridge between primary, higher and tertiary education. Indeed, it is the foundation of science and technology we so badly need to make this country competitive. For that reason, a sum of Ksh4.3 billion that is being given in the calender year 2008, is substantial. We have a task force that is looking thoroughly at all the charges at secondary schools. We will move on that. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think I have one minute remaining. There is the issue of certificates that are held by schools. We are looking at it very clearly. I want to assure hon. Members that in no too distant future, we are ready to bite the bullet. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move."
}