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"speaker_name": "Mr. Musila",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. First of all, I would like to congratulate Mr. Oloo-Aringo for bringing this timely Motion. I would also like to add my voice to the voices of many hon. Members who have supported this Motion. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of education has become so important in this nation. During the last few weeks, we have been debating Motions by hon. Members seeking this and that in order to improve education in this country. Hon. Kipchumba has also alluded to the fact that the Presidential aspirants are taking the issue of education seriously. I think that is welcome. I would also like to congratulate His Excellency the President for promising that from January, 2008, the Government will waive the tuition fees payable by students in secondary schools. I think we are headed in the right direction. However, it is not enough. I say this because for many years, in this House, we have been talking about free primary education and quality of education. Therefore, let us not just go for free primary and secondary education, but let us also go for quality education. The hon. Member for Kajiado Central raised a point which I also raised in this House two weeks ago about the shortage of teachers. In this country, the shortage of teachers is so serious that to talk of free primary and secondary education, you are really saying nothing. In my constituency, and for that matter Mwingi District, we have a shortage of nearly 1,000 primary school teachers and nearly 200 secondary school teachers. We, therefore, must correct this imbalance, if we have to say that we have free education in this country. I would have been happy if my friend, hon. Oloo- Aringo, also included pre-primary education in his Motion. The Ministry of Education brought a Sessional Paper here, which we approved. In that Paper, they promised Kenyans that pre-primary education would be made free because that is the foundation of primary education. I would, therefore, like to urge that when the House gives leave and the Bill is eventually drafted, it should include the provision of free pre-primary education. That way, we shall have free pre-primary education all the way to secondary education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, having said that, I am very happy that the Attorney- General is here and I am begging him to listen to me. Once again, I have to raise the issue of KCSE certificates which are illegally held by schools on account of fees balances. The Attorney-General must advise the Government of the illegality of schools withholding these certificates. The Attorney-General knows very well that you cannot take a certificate of a child as lien of a school May 9, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1187 fee balance that has not been paid. The learned Attorney-General also knows that a debt has a limitation period. You cannot keep a certificate of a child for ten years because of a debt that the child owes the school."
}