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{
    "id": 398677,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/398677/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 237,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wakhungu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1889,
        "legal_name": "Chrisantus Wamalwa Wakhungu",
        "slug": "chrisantus-wamalwa-wakhungu"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I rise to support this Motion. Education is very critical because the success of every citizen has a co-relation to education. We can only go far or advance through education. Free Primary Education was in the manifesto of the former President, hon. Mwai Kibaki. We want to say thank you very much for the Government of Kibaki for introducing this noble idea of FPE programme. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the FPE brought a lot of development, especially in the regions which were marginalized. The FPE programme was introduced in this country more than ten years ago. Therefore the amount of money which hon. Diriye is talking about is the money which was allocated ten years ago. As we speak here now, the economy has improved. Before President Kibaki came to power, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was growing at negative 2 per cent. The President came up with economic recovery strategies to improve the economy of this country. The economy improved from negative 2 per cent to positive 2 per cent, then 5 and 7 per cent. If it was not for the Post Election Violence, by now, I am sure, our economy would be doing 10 per cent plus. That was the time GDP was negative and now the average GDP of this country is somewhere around 6 per cent and yet the amount of FPE is still at Kshs1020.00. The economy is improving, but the amount of money allocated is not improving. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, recently the VAT Bill came into law and we found a lot of inflation cases. We have seen the price of exercise books having gone up and yet the issue of FPE money is still at Kshs1020.00. This is to say that the Motion as hon. Diriye brought it before this House; it has been long overdue. If we want to have quality education for our children, this is the right time this amount should go up. Since the FPE came in the element of quality in some public schools has been compromised because the number is too much and when you look at the ratio of a teacher to a pupil; I know the recommendation of KNUT and KUPPET to be at the ratio of one to sixty but currently the ratio is one to one hundred and twenty. The facilities have been overstretched and, obviously, if the facilities are overstretched quality is compromised. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it reminds us of those good old days when we used to hear of Olympic Primary School, in Kibera. It used to be number one in performance of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). Since FPE was introduced, we have never heard of Olympic Primary School. We ask ourselves, what The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}