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{
    "id": 601686,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/601686/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 161,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Barua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1529,
        "legal_name": "Ejidius Njogu Barua",
        "slug": "ejidius-njogu-barua"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Bill, the Basic Education (Amendment) Bill of 2014. I would like to say that I support the Bill because it attempts to improve education management both at the county and the sub-county levels. The Bill is good in several ways but the most conspicuous things that I would like to propose for consideration is in the formation of the county and sub-county boards. I have seen that the provision of the amendment Bill puts the Members of Parliament as mere observers. Even the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and child rights movements have been given an opportunity to appoint their representatives. The county executive of education has also been given an opportunity to appoint a representative. The way I know even from the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), we as Member of Parliaments, are key actors in terms of education in our respective constituencies and by extension, sub-counties and counties. I, therefore, propose that we have an amendment to ensure that the Member of Parliament is either made a substantive member of the board or have a representative in the board. Otherwise, if you have the Bill passed the way it is, it will bring a lot of confusion within the constituencies and yet, it is a fact that a Member of Parliament plays a central role in the management of education. This Bill provides for children in the first quartile in terms of performance both in primary and secondary schools to be supported to successfully complete their education. This is a very positive aspect because it means that we are going to nurture, promote and support the best brains that we have in the country. This will be good for the country’s economic and sustainable development initiatives. There is an omission which I have noticed. In this country, we support what we call holistic education, which means that children with skills other than academic skills can also play a very important part in the development of this nation, especially in terms of innovation and other non-academic initiatives. So, I would bring an amendment to provide that children with unique skills and innovation abilities that require support are identified and put in a database. The nation should put in place a mechanism for promoting those innovative skills further. Support to those disabled children and whose parents are not economically empowered is very good. This is because I am a product of community initiative. When I was in primary and secondary school, my parents could not afford to pay school fees. The then county council gave me a bursary for both primary and secondary school fees. That is how I managed to go to the university and stand here as a peoples’ representative. So, I would support this initiative to ensure that no child with the right academic skills should drop out of school. The other thing that I support in this Bill is the bringing of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) into the management of pre-schools, especially their involvement in the recruitment of teachers. This is a positive intervention which will remove the aspect of nepotism that is being practised by the county governments. As I conclude, I would like to congratulate the President, his deputy and the Government of Kenya for accepting to pay teachers their September salaries. As a representative of the people, I would like to ask the Government to find a lasting solution to the teachers’ strike once and for all, so that teachers can be paid what they deserve. With those remarks, I support the Bill. 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."
}