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{
    "id": 222584,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/222584/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 162,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Bahari",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 156,
        "legal_name": "Abdul Bahari Ali Jillo",
        "slug": "bahari-ali-jillo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to join my colleagues in congratulating Mr. Oloo-Aringo for bringing this very crucial Motion. Certainly we have a lot of praise for the attempt to bring free education in this country. It is a good move. I do request that the quality aspects are not compromised. Otherwise, we will be dealing with a completely different product. I do support the President's promise that, perhaps, in January, tuition fees will be waived. At the same time I would like the Ministry to be vigilant and ensure that other forms of levies are not introduced in schools through the back door as the tuition fees are waived. The Ministry must ensure that no additional fees are introduced in January, 2008 when tuition fees will have been waived. They must be standardised because some principals are fond of introducing all manner of fees in schools. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of quality free education is achievable if audit in secondary schools is strengthened. I can assure you that there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of ensuring that the resources that are paid by way of fees are utilized better so that Kenyans can achieve value for money. It is imperative on the part of the Ministry of Education to ensure that audit in secondary schools is strengthened to a level where we will get value for money. If that is done, I have no doubt that there will be a surplus revenue of what we have now of between the margin of 20 per cent to 30 per cent. This is very crucial and the Ministry must treat it with the urgency that it deserves. Eduction in this country should not only be free, but should be made mandatory. Unless you do that others will find ways and means of avoiding going to school particularly in the pastoral areas where a number of children still look after livestock and they are not given the opportunity to go to school. It must be made mandatory that all children of school-going age go to school all the way to secondary school. We would prefer to have it up to the university level. We must start somewhere and it must be made mandatory. That is why we support this Motion that free education be introduced. 1188 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 9, 2007 During the recent drought pastoral communities lost a lot of livestock. On the other hand there have been serious attempts in trying to improve the quality of education in pastoral areas by way of physical infrastructure and actual performance improvement programmes. At a time when we have more qualified children who can go to secondary schools, the issue of school fees is coming and it is becoming an inhibitive factor. It is making it difficult particularly for children in pastoral areas to access secondary schools even when they have done very well. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to appeal to the President to waive fees for secondary schools particularly in pastoralist areas where 90 per cent of the livelihood which is livestock is already gone. Parents in those areas are dependent entirely on relief food. This trend might go on perhaps for the next two or three years. It is a contradiction to ask the same parents to pay school fees when we are providing the basic necessity by way of relief food. It is extremely important that these matters are taken seriously because education is a right and a necessity. It is not something which you can do without. The level of poverty is on the increase in the pastoralist areas. There is an inverse relationship when it comes to fees which is on the increase. This obviously confirms that a number of school going children who have qualified cannot access secondary school education. It is only proper that the Government comes in and provides free education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, a lot of facilities have already been provided in a number of schools. What is required are the basic running costs. I do believe that this is possible. I, therefore, beg to support this Motion."
}