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{
    "id": 213789,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/213789/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 239,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Achuka",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 353,
        "legal_name": "Francis Achuka Ewoton",
        "slug": "francis-ewoton"
    },
    "content": "This Motion is very important because we are approving funds to manage education in this country. If you want to achieve development and industrialisation in this country, and have civilised people, you have to educate your children properly. I know what retarded this country for a long time. Education activities were not addressed properly. It was only recently, when His Excellency Hon. Kibaki took over the Government, that he considered the importance of education. He has a broad vision for education. If it was my responsibility, I could have decided that most of the funds be channelled for educational development. I concur with President Kibaki's opinion of introducing free primary education. I also support him for proposing free education in our secondary schools. I know that will uplift the marginalised communities that were left behind in education. Those people are very poor and could not afford secondary education. A community like Turkana cannot afford secondary education. Parents from Turkana cannot pay for secondary education. They cannot pay for college or university education for their children. So, if the Government introduces free secondary education, our people will benefit. I wish to beg the Government to consider marginalised communities, which were left behind by colonialists and the other regime that has been there for 40 years, without considering the welfare of marginalised or poor communities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that His Excellency the President's Government is very technical and focused. That is because, recently, the Government introduced the Constituencies Development Fund. Money is going to every constituency. In my constituency, I have already put up four secondary schools through the CDF money. We are also admitting Standard VIII school leavers with even 250 marks to secondary schools. I think it is time for the Government to really consider expanding education sector. Education needs a lot of facilities to achieve success. We need more teachers. Free education will not be successful without adequate teachers in our classrooms. Having a few teachers in schools will not enhance proper learning among our children. It is not reasonable to keep children in classrooms without having quality education. Students cannot get the required standards of education without enough teachers. I think the Government should strategise and adopt ways and means of getting enough funds to employ many teachers. We should have enough teachers to handle the large number of students joining primary and secondary schools. There are many secondary schools in my constituency which suffer 2554 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 17, 2007 from an acute shortage of teachers. So, I think in order to make this programme reasonable and successful, more teachers must be employed to manage education in those schools. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other thing I want to talk about is inspection of schools by education officers in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) like Turkana, Samburu and some parts of Pokot and North Eastern Province (NEP). They need vehicles because these are vast areas with a lot of hardships. They do not have means of transport to go and inspect schools. I urge the Government to provide them with vehicles, so that they are able to inspect learning process in our schools. With these few remarks, I beg to support."
}