HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 236695,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/236695/?format=api",
"text_counter": 372,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kagwima",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 286,
"legal_name": "Francis Nyamu Kagwima",
"slug": "francis-kagwima"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I want to, from the outset, say that I sympathise with the situation in our public universities. We need to address this matter in a very sobber manner, not only for this time but for the future of our institutions of higher learning. We need to, clearly, determine the terms and conditions of service for staff in those institutions, so that as one applies for the job of a lecturer, one knows one's monthly salary and allowances entitlement. That way, somebody will be able to take up the job under clear terms and conditions of service. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to agree with the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs that we should look at the income generated by our public universities. For instance, the University of Nairobi has established a private company, which generates money through various academic programmes that the institution offers to the public under the parallel degree programme. What happens to that money? I know that in order for one to become a lecturer, a lot of effort is required, so that one can acquire two or three degrees. However, it is not possible for the Government to compensate professors in terms of remuneration. What I mean is that lecturing at university is actually a calling of an individual to produce academic manpower for one's country. As much as they want good terms, lecturers must have a calling the way priests and other people have a calling before they join their careers. So, I want to appeal to them to look at it that way so that if they have a calling, they can produce academic manpower for the country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the past, lecturers continued to work and drove Volkswagens. I am not saying that we should condemn them to that kind of life, but we need a calling so that we can have committed lecturers who can do research, give proper tuition and learning materials to the students. We need lecturers who will concentrate on their calling. If lecturers are just looking for money, they will just lecture up to the scheduled lecture time and then go out in the field to do other jobs. So, in the morning, they will go to the university to give just the bare minimum that they can give in the 30 or 40 minutes lesson. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me now turn to the issue of politics in our institutions of higher learning. We need to divorce politics from our institutions of higher learning so that lectures can be conducted in a good atmosphere. I say this because these institutions are very important because they determine what kind of human resource we will have as a country in the years to come. If we are not careful, we will end up with half-baked graduates or personnel which will ruin our economy. Therefore, as a country, we will be doing things half-way. Looking at the way we introduced the 8-4-4 system of education--- I am happy that it is now improving. There are groups of people who lack concentration in some areas. So, we want to be very careful about the type of people we produce. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, because my time is running out, I want to conclude by saying that we also need to improve the conditions for the students in the universities. Parents, who November 2, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3405 have students in our public universities, would like their children to be day scholars because of the deplorable conditions there. I hope that the Minister is taking note of this so that those conditions are improved for our children to learn in a good environment. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to support."
}