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{
    "id": 236284,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/236284/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 275,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Khamisi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 246,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Matano Khamisi",
        "slug": "joseph-khamisi"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to join my colleagues in supporting this very important Bill. I also want to congratulate the Minister for his efforts in crafting this Bill and bringing it to this House. He should, indeed, ensure that it passes. We have also been told that this proposed university will be the seventh public university in Kenya. I hope that it is not going to be the last public university to be established. We have also been told that education is the cornerstone of this country. I say this because we at the Coast province have also been clamouring for establishment of a public university in our region for a number of years. We hope that the effort we are seeing today will be the beginning of a serious effort by the Government to expand access to university education to other areas, including Coast Province. It has been said that Coast Province is the cradle of knowledge. This is simply because of the fact that the first missionaries passed through Coast Province on their way to upcountry. We would like the benefit of this historical fact to be realised by not only the people of Coast Province, but also by those other regions which have also been shut out of access to higher education such as North Eastern Province. There should be equitable distribution of educational opportunities in this country. We have also been told that only 10 per cent of our students gain entry into our local university. The other 90 per cent find their way to overseas universities. It is obvious that this country is spending a lot of money in funding foreign education. This is because we cannot satisfy our people's quest for higher education. The Coast Province needs an opportunity by the Government to expand its field of knowledge. We have been told here that one of the main faculties at the proposed Western University of Science and Technology will be that of disaster management. Coast Province will provide study opportunities in the fields of marine technology, marine biology and agriculture. I hope that the current initiatives at the Coast Province by upcountry universities, which are offering courses specifically at the Kilifi Institute of Agriculture and Bandari College, will be elevated and make these institutions full universities in due course. We also need to look at the fees we charge in our universities. The poverty levels in this country average 60 per cent to 65 per cent. It is important that when we talk about expanding education at the higher level, we also look at how we can rationalise our fees structure. Currently, the fees that is being charged in our public universities is beyond the means of many of Kenyans. We hope that the Government, in its wisdom, as it did in the provision of free primary education, will look at ways and means of rationalising university fees in order to make it affordable by the majority of Kenyans. I also wish to support a previous speaker on the issue of grading system. We are losing many good intellectual minds because we peg our education at a slightly higher level than most universities abroad do. I think we need to accommodate every Kenyan in their endeavour to find knowledge. As we do that, we need also to look at our research opportunities. In the academic arena, research is very important. We also need to look at how we can provide adequate facilities such as books, computers and other modern equipment to our universities to make it easier for them to work effectively. We cannot talk about university education, particularly now, if we do not talk about remuneration of our teaching staff. It is embarrassing for this country to have fallen into the 3440 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 7, 2006 situation that it is in now. Out of our six public universities at least four have closed down due to the on-going lecturers strike. This is sad not only for the students but also for this country. We need to devise a way of conflict resolution, so that we do not shut down our universities because of a fight for better salaries. This is a situation that should not be allowed to happen again. We appeal to the Government, through the Minister, to find a solution to the crisis facing our universities. We have also heard that this proposed university will establish constituent colleges in various districts. This is a very innovative way of expanding education in this country."
}