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{
"id": 399478,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/399478/?format=api",
"text_counter": 163,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Mohamed Diriye",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 2995,
"legal_name": "Diriye Abdullahi Mohamed",
"slug": "diriye-abdullahi-mohamed"
},
"content": "to reduce the cost of burden of primary education to parents, the government established the FPE annual capitation per child at Kshs1020.00 for primary schools; taking into account the need to meet the constitutional right of every Kenyan child to free and compulsory basic education; deeply concerned that the capitation grant has remained constant at Kshs1020.00 since 2003 despite the inflationary levels having risen, thus undermining the purchasing power for schools; this House urges the Government to increase the capitation grant per child from Kshs1020.00 to Ksh.1200.00 for primary schools. Hon. Deputy Speaker, with my earlier consultation with the Chair, in this amended version as per Standing Order 48; the Free Primary Education (FPE) as implemented from the year 2003 has recorded considerable success. But it has also met a lot of challenges. Currently, the figure of Kshs1020.00 for FPE has stagnated from 2003. There has been inflation in this country and no single price has stayed at constant level. The price of every commodity has been changing and Kshs1020.00 has remained the same; this is really hampering education standards in this country. The Kshs1020.00 was meant to help schools buy textbooks, exercise books, pencils, dusters, chalks, registers, charts and wall maps, reference materials and other learning materials. It was also meant to help schools develop infrastructure. This account one which is Kshs1020.00 is divided into two: Account one, Kshs550.00 and account two, Kshs470. Account one was meant to buy books and learning materials. This is not enough because for upper primary school level, for example, Standard Eight alone, a child will need to buy at least six books at the current market rate. Currently, a set book for English costs Kshs560.00; Science Kshs380.00, Kiswahili Kshs580.00, Mathematics Kshs690.00 and Social Studies Kshs580. Hon. Deputy Speaker, a pupil in Standard Eight will require textbooks worth Kshs3,350.00. The cost provided under the Free Primary Education (FPE) capitation per child grant is just kshs550.00. So, we can see the gap. Inflation rates have gone high and the money that the Government provides is not enough to cater for the children in schools. In the academic year 2003/2004, when FPE was introduced, an English set book; New Progressive Primary English for Standard Eight cost Kshs280.00 During the current academic year, 2013, the same book costs Kshs560. The cost has increased from Kshs280.00 to Kshs560.00, that is an increase of 50 per cent and the money that the Government gives still remains the same. For science textbooks, for example, Standard Seven Primary Science, in 2004 it cost Kshs310.00. Right now, the cost has increased to Kshs380.00 and that is an increase of 41 per cent. On Kiswahili, for example, Kiswahili Sanifu, which is used in Standard Eight, the cost was Kshs525.00 while right now it is Kshs580.00. That is also an increase of 36 per cent. Those are just some few books that are being used in the primary level. Also on mathematics, the set books for Standard Six in the year 2004 were costing Kshs380.00 each and right now the same book is being sold at Kshs690.00. That is an increase of 57 per cent. So, we can see that for all the textbooks from the year 2003 to 2013, there is, at least, 50 per cent increase in the cost. This has really undermined 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."
}