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{
    "id": 601607,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/601607/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 82,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Mbarire",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 78,
        "legal_name": "Cecily Mutitu Mbarire",
        "slug": "cecily-mbarire"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to contribute to the Basic Education (Amendment) Bill. From the outset, I congratulate the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology that sat down to look at these important amendments. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I support the reconstitution of the County Education Board and the proposal to bring on board a Sub-County Education Board. In particular, I am looking at what used to happen in the past which worked and which was good. We had District Education Boards where all the Members of Parliament used to sit. The work of the District Education Board was important in terms of ensuring that education was done well and that all schools came together to improve the quality of education given to our students. I, therefore, feel that there is need to continue doing so and to devolve this further down to the sub-county level because we know that counties are big and sub-county levels will make work even easier in the area of education. The only concern I have is that although this amendment proposes that Members of Parliament should sit in the committee, I do not like the wording. In terms of the membership to the County Education Board and the Sub-County Education Board, Clause 5(4) says:- “A Member of Parliament from the respective Sub-County may attend the meetings of the Sub-County Education Board but shall have no right to vote.” I have concern with that wording because we are leaving the membership to the Sub- County Education Board and County Education Board for the Member of Parliament to be a “by the way”. It is up to you to see whether you want to attend as a Member of Parliament or not. I personally feel that the Member of Parliament should be a substantive member of the board and should have a right to vote. Why do I say so? I say so because currently we know that almost 90 per cent of all development infrastructure for schools is done by Members of Parliament. The Member of Parliament is a key stakeholder of the education in his constituency in the county. Therefore, I want the wording, and I hope that the Committee is taking note of this, to be changed to: “A Member of Parliament shall be a Member of the County Education Board and will attend meetings or his or her representative.” The same should apply at the sub-county level so that Members can sit there knowing they are there in their own right as Members of Parliament and they are not “by the ways”. It should be the case all the time. In the absence of the Member of Parliament for any reason, a representative can sit there as advised by the Member of Parliament. That should be the case. The reason I also say this is because we had a very big challenge at the time we constituted the school management boards. I do not know the experience of most Members here, but the County Education Board made it look like it was a privilege to request us to make a proposal on who should sit in the boards of the schools. In the past, Members of Parliament were greatly involved in the constitution of the boards. This time, we were made to feel that we had no role other than to sit and vet. That for me was a big challenge. Let it come out very clearly so that the role of the Member of Parliament in the constitution of the school management boards can also be clear. The other thing that I noticed and used to happen with the District Education Board is that financial support for the activities of the boards was not forthcoming and when it did, it was 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."
}