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{
    "id": 516972,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/516972/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 478,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Tong’i",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2611,
        "legal_name": "Richard Nyagaka Tongi",
        "slug": "richard-nyagaka-tongi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Motion. Few of my reasons for supporting the Motion have been said by my colleagues who have spoken ahead of me. However, I will hasten to add a few more which have not been said. In management, we say that “that which cannot be measured cannot be rewarded”. Therefore, we have to get a system of rewarding the principals who have done well. One such way of doing it is to ensure that ranking has been done and done well. I propose that going forward we should also introduce ranking amongst counties so that they can have a reason to compete amongst themselves. We are having ranking at the national level. We should also have ranking at the county level to ensure that there is fairness and competition amongst the counties. This is because university admission is based on ranking. You are not going to say that: “We come from a marginalised part of Kenya and, therefore, we deserve to be treated in a special way when we are being admitted at the university.” That is not acceptable. Therefore, we must be able to treat Kenyans fairly and equally. To do that, we have to introduce national ranking. That would be the way to reward and ensure that we are getting quality graduates that can compete at the national and international levels. I also want to hasten and mention something about exam cheating. Without putting proper policies in place we are going to experience a lot of cheating in the name of wanting to excel. Sometimes principals and school managements go out of their way to cheat in exams. I am hurting as a Member of Parliament because Kisii School, which is one of the top schools in this country, is affected. It is affected because of things which can be addressed. We have the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) which is involved in setting exams, determining when the exams are done, transporting the exams to schools, supervising the exams, marking the exams and ranking schools. How much can one body do? Maybe it is time that we thought of something different so that we can separate the functions of these institutions to ensure there is fairness. You cannot be a judge of your own case where you are setting your own exams, marking yourself and then you say that you have done well. By whose measure have you done well? One of the recommendations that I want to bring to this Motion is that KNEC should be engaged in one function of the exams and not in everything from setting, transporting, ensuring safety and supervising the exams as well as ranking of schools. What if they make a mistake like they have done on Kisii School? How do we address those concerns? When we want to complain, again we are compelled to complain to them. They are the accused and yet we are going to complain to them on the same accusations that we are making against them. We have schools in Kisii like Nyabururu High School which is also affected. Can we not have a system where we are going to penalise individuals who have committed mistakes? Why punish the entire school? Every child goes to school with an expectation of passing his or her exam. We all know that most of these students come from poor families. Parents or guardians have gone out of their way to look for school fees in very difficult circumstances. When the child has finally done his or her exam, he or she is told that their school has cheated. When does an institution become---"
}