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{
    "id": 813578,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/813578/?format=api",
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    "content": "you fail to register schools that are legitimately educating Kenyan children, you are actually perpetuating this inequality. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we know that statistics are very important in terms of ensuring that we deploy resources accordingly. Therefore, what we need to do – and I support the Mover of this Statement, Sen. (Dr.) Milgo – that the Committee on Education should relook at these regulations, because regulations are supposed to be enablers and not deterrents. They are supposed to enable people who are willing to create opportunities for our children to actually go to school. This is also in keeping with the Jubilee Coalition Manifesto, where we are supposed to provide free secondary education. For this to be achieved, we need to create extra classrooms in all the idle land and spaces available in various primary schools so that these will be the new secondary schools. However, because of the numbers, it means that these schools are not going to be registered. This will then defeat the very purpose of the Jubilee administration’s policy of increasing opportunities so that we reduce the attrition that occurs after finishing class eight. When the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) Government came into power, one million children showed up in Class One. However, since that time, there has been a very small number of students who end up in secondary schools and tertiary institutions. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Statement is timely and important. I would want to support it and ask that we should look at how we can even go further to not just register schools that would want to be registered, but also see how is it that the Government can meaningfully partner with other education stakeholders who run schools, for example, the churches or other development partners. This will enable us make the right to free basic education a reality in Kenya. So, the Government has a role to play. We also need to ensure that we speak to the quality of the teachers that come from our Teachers training institutions. We also need to speak to the issue of ensuring that every teacher who has a degree teaches even in primary schools. We also need to look at how we deploy these teachers because the schools that are most deprived also seem to get the most inexperienced teachers. This is because the most experienced teachers want to live in more central places; in towns and urban cities. I am thinking of a school like Mutomo in Kitui, which has no qualified teachers, yet a pupil there is supposed to compete with a pupil in, say, Nairobi Primary School. These are two individuals who live in totally different worlds. So, we also need to ensure that the schools that are most marginalised, as it has been put by Sen. (Dr.) Milgo, get qualified teachers. We also need to look at the issue of teachers’ house allowance because it is the greatest incentive that makes every teacher want to live in urban cities. It also creates disparities because you will find teachers staying, for example, in Kiambu County, but come to work in Nairobi. When you look at the house allowance, it is very different. Those are some of the things that will also inform in terms of what quality of education that would obtain, going by the requirements of this Statement. Finally, we need to look at special schools, particularly. The fact that there is that special allowance, you will find that special schools are populated with teachers who 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."
}