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{
    "id": 542132,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/542132/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 142,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wangwe",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2543,
        "legal_name": "Emmanuel Wangwe",
        "slug": "emmanuel-wangwe"
    },
    "content": "the opportunity to proceed with their education. The money parents pay as examination fees could go towards reducing the pupil to teacher ratio. It would be an advantage to the pupils. There is also the issue of inadequate facilities. Infrastructure in schools in the country is not well established. This means that some areas miss out on necessary school buildings. Assuming that all parts of the country are equal, which is not the case, and we levy Kshs1,000 per pupil for examination fees, it is not easy to raise the money from various parts of this country. Raising Kshs1,000 in Nairobi is possible. However, in my local area of Navakholo, raising Kshs1,000 is not easy for parents across the whole constituency. Most of my colleagues here will agree with me that inadequacy in facilities is a big issue. There is also the issue of inadequate funds which leads to inadequate facilities. The Government, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology does not allocate enough funds in the national budget. The services provided are not quality since the tutors have to engage in other activities for their upkeep. Instead of getting the money from various sources, if we are going to keep this money in our budget as it is today, it will be easier for the Government to budget and plan rather than leaving it in its disengaged form as it is today. In addition to the challenges which we have, what has also informed the need to remove examination fees is the importance of examination to our education system. Why do we do examinations? It is a question which most of us need to know or find out. Exams are a way to test our knowledge. By encouraging our pupils to do examinations, we are simply testing their knowledge. Testing implies that we have taken our children through a system and we are letting them know the level to which they understand. If we levy examination fees, only the few who will afford that money will be able to be tested and know the extent to which they understand the knowledge acquired. So, it is important because exams are the way to test the knowledge students have acquired. It is also important to note that students will get motivated towards their studies through achievement in the examination. Motivation is the key issue in any given establishment. Even in this august House, without motivation we would not be doing other things such as achieving knowledge, setting standards for our constituencies and the country. Therefore, examinations motivate students in their studies. Examination is also important for students because it teaches them a lot of things. It trains them on various things like punctuality, writing skills and expressing thoughts and opinions. This is a way of life. Once you are determined to have done examination, you appear to understand training on various issues like the ones I have mentioned. In this Parliament, for instance, we know that at 2.30 p.m. we must be seated and ready to welcome the Speaker. That is punctuality. Whoever comes in after is not observing punctuality. It is very important to examine our students and pupils on all these issues. Another importance of education is that it is a formal system that needs to be in place. What it depicts of a person is the academic competence and intelligence that is straightforward to measure. No method would fully capture the scope of students’ ability. The fact remains that we need some formal system, otherwise the academic system will not work. Setting of examination gives us an opportunity to understand the training our pupils and students have gone through in the formal system of education. 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."
}