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"id": 223504,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Sambu",
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"legal_name": "Alfred B. Wekesa Sambu",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me time to contribute to this Motion. I wish to support it wholly. Universal education, as I understand it, is education from Standard One to Form Four. When we were growing up, you would go up to Standard Four and do an examination called \"Common Entrance Examination\", and it prevented a lot of students of our generation from continuing to Standard Five. The consequence was that the colonialists managed to keep a lot of people away from being educated. Therefore, when we have an examination at Standard Eight which prevents a lot of young people from continuing to secondary schools, then we are doing a lot of injustice to them. Somebody leaving school at Standard Eight may be 14 or 16 years of age, and still needs a lot of guidance in life. If we supported young people to continue up to Form Four, at that level, even if they do an examination and do not continue with further education, they can join youth polytechnics when they are mature, while those who are academically able will pursue their chosen disciplines at universities. When they join polytechnics they can decide whether they want to be mechanics, tailors, welders and so on. They will graduate with diplomas or certificates and become technicians. I have always said on the Floor of this House that nations are built by technicians, guided by professionals with degrees. You cannot expect the professors to come and do welding and mechanical jobs or tailoring. So, I support this Motion, that we have to offer free education up to Form Four. I support what His Excellency the President declared yesterday. But we have to make it clear, because people have misunderstood it to mean the tuition that is done during the school holidays. Usually, when the Ministry prepares school fees guidelines, 40 to 50 per cent of school 1054 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 2, 2007 fees is tuition fees. Therefore, it means that next year, if Kenyans re-elect President Kibaki, we will have people who have been paying Kshs9,000 as day scholars paying only pay Kshs5,400. That is more than 50 per cent reduction in school fees. What else do Kenyans want? I support this Motion, but this is a process towards the final. You cannot start from final; you have to start gradually, as my colleagues have said. Saying that it cannot be done--- We used to pay 18 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) to the previous Government. I used to sit there, and we never got any free education! So, let us support what is right. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support this Motion and what was said yesterday, but we should make sure that the school boards and head teachers are not going to dictate to the parents, like they are now dictating. The Government has said, and the Minister has also said here, that the Government supports the opening of day streams in boarding schools. In a situation where all the students are day scholars, the fees they pay is a maximum of Kshs9,000 and, maybe, Kshs1,000 for their lunch. In high potential areas where the primary schools are close by, why do we need boarding schools? Boarding schools are only meant for collecting money to be misappropriated by the Board of Governors (BoGs) and the head teachers. In fact, it is not all the BoGs, they have got what they call the \"Executives\", which is composed of two or three people sitting together with the head teacher. We have many a case; it is only that--- In fact, a majority of them would be--- If auditors from the Ministry were strict enough, many of them would be found to be misappropriating this money. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we want as many day secondary schools as possible. Let us build them with the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) in the high potential areas. Yes, I understand that it is only in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) where there is a need, because the parents are pastoralists or nomadic people and the children cannot go to one school because the parents are travelling around. But in high potential areas like Mosop, why do I need boarding schools? It is a very serious affair, because many of us went to day secondary schools and we passed! I mean, the fact that the child goes to a boarding school and yet it is only a kilometre, two kilometres or three kilometres from home, what do they get? This is where they only get to riot! These things are practical, and you get the parents paying Kshs25,000 to Kshs30,000 and what is the difference? The food is not different! So, what are we doing? Let us save the parents these huge amounts they are paying. Let us start with what the President has said, hoping that, God- willing, he will be re-elected and, next year, he will give us this 50 per cent reprieve off the school fees. So, we will get more children going to form four. As I said earlier, this should only be the basis or the groundwork for eventual free secondary education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Polytechnics should also be supported. I am pleading with the Government to do this. It was discussed this morning. There are people who have taken title deeds for schools and village polytechnics, and I want to urge the Government to take action on Government land. The Government should make sure that school land is not held by the sponsor. In many cases, sponsors and the churches hold the titles. Titles should be held by the Government on behalf of the schools. I support this Motion because we want our children to proceed from form one to form four, uninhibited by costs. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}