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"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of shortage of teachers has not been touched, but I read about it in the Report. This is another big issue. The kind of results that are in Lamu, Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River and other places are contributed to by lack of teachers. Today, parents are bigger employers of teachers than the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). If you to go a school, you will find that the number of teachers employed by parents are more than those employed by the TSC. There is one secondary school where I presided over the prize giving day. Out of the total number of 19 teachers, only five are employed by the TSC. So, how do we expect the results in these areas, where we do not have teachers, to match the others? Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of school feeding programme has been touched in the Report. There are hardship districts where crop failure and famine are permanent. These counties are well known to the Government. The school feeding programme is given for a short while and then withdrawn. Children are fed for about two months and then the programme stops because the World Bank, which funds it, has said that there is no more money. Then, the matter ends there. Our own Government has to depend on external sources to feed our children. So, the school feeding programme in hardship counties, as expressed in the Report, must be given priority by the Government. It should not be left to others to fund. This, again, has got a negative effect on the performance of students, because they cannot study when they are hungry. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of Early Childhood Development (ECD) education remains a problem, yet, again, that is the foundation. We have neglected ECD education. We think that by starting from Standard One upwards, we can make it. I think that it is now the responsibility of county governments, as the Chair has said, to ensure that they perfect these centres of learning as foundations, because that is the only way that we will ensure that we have quality students as we move along. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to challenge the county governments. Devolution is the only answer to the problems of marginalization and quality of education, and now the national Government is giving the county governments funds. Instead of our friends, the Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs), travelling overseas in large numbers, they could use these funds to develop education, because it is the only thing that is going to improve the lives of our society. Therefore, our challenge must go to the county governments to ensure that the quality of education is raised. As the Chair has suggested, let them improve on the ECD education, provide all the facilities and employ qualified teachers. When they have perfected this, they can now move and assist the national Government in primary education. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we must support this Motion because it has been gathered through hardship. I want to encourage this Committee and other Committees to move round the country and give us reports of this nature, so that we can appreciate how our counties are and provide solutions, like we are trying to do now. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}