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"id": 671059,
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"content": "Any parent who feels that they can do better with their children, can take them to paid private schools. However, in all public schools, whether you are a son of a professor, wood-cutter, stone-cutter or a Cabinet Secretary (CS), when you go to a public school, you are entitled to all learning materials; education free of any payment with uniforms provided. When I went to school, before any one of you, there was a class monitor between Standard One and Four, who every morning put ink in your ink pot, provided you with an ink pen, pencil, sharpener, slate and a slate pen free. When you lost it, you would be punished and given a replacement. That is what free education means. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, today, we send about Kshs2,900 per child to a primary school, while a teacher sits there and asks parents to pay money for teachers’ lunch, tree planting, which they never do and replacing books even when there were no books. When you calculate, you will find that parents in primary schools are paying three times more than what the Government is sending for free education, not to mention that they have to buy uniforms, transport their children to school and do all manner of things. This databank means nothing if the intention is not to provide--- I want a provision that every child in public school in this country will be entitled to education free of any payment either for learning material or school fees. Then we know that we will be able to provide everything for the children. In areas that have got serious climate challenges like Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera and Tana River, we need a provision that the children who go to school in Moyale are entitled to a quarter or half a litre of water a day because of the weather ravages. This should form part of the learning materials in school because the levels of dehydration there are not the same as in Meru, Bungoma or Kakamega. They are told to perform other functions as it may be necessary and that is where the abuse comes. They will just sit and ask what their any other functions are. We must ensure that there is a paved road to school. We must ensure the teachers are doing this and this will not work. We are actually trying to destroy education. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, regarding the composition of the board, I agree with you that the numbers in this board is too large. They have stated here that every county education board shall consist of a chairperson and seventeen other persons. First, the number is bloated. If they are going to do the things that are enumerated here, the board will be extremely costly doing things that others can do and are doing. That money can improve infrastructure in schools. The composition also requires an educationist of five years standing. There is no educationist of five years standing. If you want to look for an educationist, people who qualified to be called so have served more than 10 years. There is also maturity and settlement in career and so on. In fact, we have a lot of distinguished people in the villages who have served as education officers retiring at 55 years and they are still very strong. We also have people who have retired as headteachers at 55 years and they are still very strong and valuable in their contribution to the society. Those are the kind of people we could be looking for. This kind of thing is not good. Other members of the board are the county director of education who shall be secretary to the board, the county executive committee member in charge of education, the county commissioner and a representative of the TSC and where applicable, one person each representing the following--- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}