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"id": 238824,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/238824/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mrs. Mwendwa",
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"speaker": {
"id": 275,
"legal_name": "Winfred Nyiva Mwendwa",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is an issue that has been spoken about but it was on my list. 3044 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 18, 2006 So, I will not leave it out. We have so many students who have gone through secondary schools and their certificates have been withheld by the principals forever. They will never clear those fees arrears, anyway. They can never pay even though so much is said about them. So, we are punishing those children because they were born in poor families. If the Ministry decides to give more funds for bursaries to those areas, then those students should be given their certificates by the schools. I do not think it serves any purpose for the schools to hold those certificates because those students will never pay for them. They have not paid for donkey years. What will compel them to clear those fees arrears, anyway? The Ministry should just make a decision to clear those fees arrears and then instruct the principals to release the certificates to the affected students and other things will come later. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to talk about the free primary education which is very highly appreciated. We would also like to recommend that the pre-primary and secondary education also be made free. However, we have problems with our free primary education. First, there are no facilities in some of the places, especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid areas. You will find that there are no classrooms. We have built some classrooms with the CDF money, but I think the Ministry of Education should establish a fund for building schools, especially where there are none and children are reading under trees and mud huts. The Ministry should take responsibility and build schools. In the same areas, you will find many children are not going to school or they go and drop out. Who can go to school on an empty stomach? If you go to school on an empty stomach, you will not comprehend what the teachers are saying. So, they do not go to school. In cases like that, I would recommend that schools should feed the children. They should do it throughout the year. It should not be for a while. The School Feeding Programme is difficult because it rains for a short while and most of the times, there is drought. Therefore, these children starve most of the time. I think the School Feeding Programme should be permanent in Arid and Semi-Arid areas without making any exceptions. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also wish to ask the Ministry that since we have roofs of some sort in primary schools, whether it is possible for them to provide the black plastic water tanks. This will ensure that, at least, the children can have some water to drink at school. They should not drink dirty water from the rivers. If you go there, you will notice the effect of drinking dirty water. These children carry the water in their small jerrycans. I am sure it is not beyond the reach of the Government of Kenya to provide water to schools, especially in primary schools. We all know that it is very expensive to sink boreholes. However, we should sink boreholes in schools, especially secondary schools. It is quite pathetic to see children in certain primary schools in the rural areas carrying dirty water from the rivers in discoloured plastic containers. It is unfortunate that this is what our children are drinking. This is inhuman. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to request the Ministry of Education to register new schools. Sometimes, a school is registered after operating for about four years. It is a pity that when students in that school are just about to sit for national exams, that is when it is registered. What does that mean? This means the Ministry cannot post qualified teachers to a school which is in not registered. The school eventually starts on the wrong footing because it does not have qualified teachers. Students in such schools perform very poorly in national exams because they lack qualified teachers. Sometimes, such institutions are asked to pay their teachers salaries. They cannot even afford to do so. Since we have been encouraged to start day secondary schools in our constituencies, I would like to request the Ministry to register these schools and post qualified teachers. By so doing, these schools will start operating on a good footing. If this is done, students in those schools will have no choice, but to perform well. October 18, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3045 Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are many schools in this country which have been running for over 15 years. However, not a single student from those schools has ever qualified to join a public university. This is because the quality of education is wanting, and the schools also lack qualified teachers and other important facilities. This issue should be looked into. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}