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"speaker_name": "Maj. Sugow",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Water and Irrigation",
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"legal_name": "Aden Ahmed Sugow",
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"content": " Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand here to support this Motion. Sometime when Siad Barre became the President of Somalia, many of his people did not have any secular education. The majority of them, about 90 per cent, were illiterate. Those who were opposed to his rule were educated to western standards. Compared to his people, they were civilisations ahead. So, what Siad Barre did was to render all those who were carrying those \"foreign papers\" as he called them irrelevant and introduced a new system of education and the medium of teaching became the Somali language. In the process, a lot changed in Somalia. They were taken back centuries and what we see today in Somalia is part and parcel of that same problem which Siad Barre started when he came to power and decided to change the system of education in his country. In other words, what he was trying to do was to create some level playing field that gives advantage to his people and render others irrelevant. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I concur with hon. Kajwang here that when the 8-4-4 System of Education was introduced, it marginalised certain areas in this country because no infrastructure commensurate with the system itself was put in place. There was no enough staff to be able to run that system that was put in place. The end result was a deliberate system that was lopsided and in favour of areas that were able to put this infrastructure in places of their own. It helped bring up cartels that are taking advantage and coming up with institutions that are fleecing Kenyans. It helped siphon money out of this country in the form of foreign exchange by students going to seek that same system that we abolished in our neighbouring countries. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, all is not bad in the 8-4-4 System of Education but, as Kenyans have said many times, the system needs a serious review. That review has not been forthcoming to make it relevant enough and acceptable within the region. Today, the majority of Form Four leavers from the North Eastern Province do not make it to university. They have actually given up. Recently, they started venturing into our neighbouring countries because, there, regardless of the papers they have, they have an opportunity to start at a certain level and continue December 6, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 4185 with their education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the 8-4-4 system has also made education very expensive in this country. Form Four leavers from the North Eastern Province who have already lost hope of joining university, and who aim to just join middle-level colleges also have a problem. Today, if you want to study for a Diploma in Clinical Medicine at the Kenya Medical Training College, you must pass either English or Kiswahili. If you want to study for a Diploma in Education (Arts) at Kagumo Teachers Training College, you must pass Mathematics. The same things that are happening at the university-level are happening at the middle-level colleges. So, Form Four leavers from the North Eastern Province, who cannot score the necessary grades for admission to university, and whose aim has been to struggle to join the middle-level colleges, are faced with a problem whereby if they want to pursue an arts-related career, they have to pass in the science subjects and where, if they want to pursue a sciences-related career, they have to pass in arts subjects. In the circumstances, there is no hope for them. That is why I very much support this Motion. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the system is further ailed by poor infrastructure in many districts. Up to now, many districts do not have the relevant infrastructure for pursuing the particular system of education. Staffing problems have added to this problem. For instance, Garissa District alone, today, has a shortage of over 300 teachers. The entire North Eastern Province has a shortage of close to 1,200 teachers. In a school of eight double-stream classes, you may find four teachers. In a school with Class One to Class Five, you will, probably, find the headmaster and one teacher. How are they expected to deliver the system, which is so detailed, with intense curricular? How are children in such schools expected to pass examinations? Incidentally, when some of our children who complete Fourth Form go for \"A\" level studies in schools in our neighbouring countries, or proceed elsewhere for pre-university studies, as they are supposed to, they emerge the best students. Therefore, there is something good in this system of education. The problem is that we are not trying to find out exactly what is good and, properly, reform the system to make our students more comfortable and ensure that parents pay less. So, in the absence of such effort, and with the continuous cry of our people over the years, I strongly believe that we should revert to the previous system of education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is high time that, as Government and Parliament, we became sensitive to the plight of Kenyans. We must ensure that when the public cry over something, we take it seriously and do something about it. The issue of the 8-4-4 System of Education has been talked about for a long time. It is high time that we take the bull by the horns and do something about it. What do we do? Let us revert to the old system of education. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}