Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 601624,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/601624/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 99,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Eng.) Gumbo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 24,
        "legal_name": "Nicholas Gumbo",
        "slug": "nicholas-gumbo"
    },
    "content": "This is very good but maintaining the data bank alone is not enough. Part of the reason why some of us are in this House is because of the kind of activities we have been doing in the education sector. I know that maintaining a data bank alone is not enough. In addition to identification of these students, they must be given both financial and parental guidance. Any of us who has run a bursary scheme knows that part of the problem that you get after you provide the service - without guardian support – is that it becomes an exercise in futility particularly to the orphaned girl-child. Most of them end up dropping out of school due to pregnancy and other related problems. However, this is a noble initiative. I have done my own calculations and I believe that it should be possible to provide access and assistance to the 200 students per constituency with the amount of money that we now have in the counties. If you work out this, you will realise that all that we need is no more than Kshs10 million per constituency to be able to assist these children per year. This, therefore, means that the average per county is about Kshs 100 million per year. This will be the path to realizing very decent education for all our deserving children. I have looked at Clause 8 which seeks to empower the CS, Education, Science and Technology in consultation with the CS, National Treasury to develop and present regulations for the provision of financial assistance to children learning in non-public or sponsored schools, but who on account of financial hardships, are experiencing difficulties. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am just wondering if this provision of Clause 8 is not an admission of failure of public education in Kenya. In the years some of us went to school, of course, those years are long gone, going to private schools was an admission of lack of mettle and backbone to compete with the rest of everybody. I think we should put more emphasis on providing quality education in our public schools as opposed to this diversion and tactics of trying to subsidize what is basically private enterprise. On Clause 10, I have no idea what it intends to achieve. It states as follows:- “Section 34 of the principal Act is amended by inserting the words “as long as the child meets the criteria prescribed by the Cabinet Secretary for admission to the public school.” This looks very good on paper, but why are we being insincere to ourselves? We have seen the problems in the education sector in Kenya and I have said this before on the Floor of this House. The CS in Kenya, today, seems to be completely powerless before the principals of public schools. I have said it and I have no regrets about it. The current CS has become more of a crying Minister than somebody who is supposed to lead from the front in helping Kenya to realise its goals in basic education. Therefore, it is time we drew a clear distinction. Our CS holds the title of “Professor”, but looking at his performance and this is my opinion, it is high time we drew a distinction between learned people and people who are educated. To me he is a classic example of somebody being very learned, but with very little education and incapable of helping us at all. The provisions of Clauses 12 and 13 are very good, but these provisions can only be better, if they are followed by honest vetting and dutiful implementation. In our country, we have reached a point where we have to say that the problem that we have is not lack of laws or regulations, but it is about follow up. How do we follow up so that we make sure that the good things that we have on paper, that is in our statutes and regulations are implemented to the letter? I do not understand the meaning of Clause 15 because it proposes to amend the Act to enable private schools to allow different curriculum and not necessarily one. Were we saying 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."
}