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{
    "id": 909938,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/909938/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 705,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kipipiri, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Amos Kimunya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": "counterpart funding for Government have not done their bit. These are now being shown as stalled projects while they should be open and benefitting the students in those areas. On our universities, we accept and acknowledge there is a financing burden, especially with the reduction in module students namely, the privately paying students who were financing the universities. Therefore, we appreciate the need for rationalisation. We accept the ministry has already started a review on potential rationalisation of universities. It may lead to mergers of programmes, universities and colleges and some reforms. I am hoping the Members will support these reforms when they are brought to this House. We all want a university in our county; we do not want a university in our constituency. The reality is different. We have seen that module may have been good, but it is not sustainable unless we allocate more money. We hope Hon. Members will support these reforms when we get them. I just wanted to highlight that the Departmental Committee on Education and Research has recommended some reallocation of funds that had been proposed for construction of digital labs. You remember in Phase I there was the issue of laptops for class One, Two and Three. The ministry appeared before us and said they would like to spend Kshs1.5 billion for construction of 750 labs. At least, we picked the figure of 750 because that is what is within the output. However, Members must remember that we have 22,000 primary schools. So, if we are only doing 750 labs, it means in 750 schools, leaving out 22,000 schools. This is not serious commitment towards a digital programme. We said we would rather use this money in support of TIVETs, which have already started where we have given commitment that every student going to a TIVET will be given Kshs30,000 as capitation. This money had not been provided. We are hoping it will happen and we will be asking for support. The 22,000 labs would require a minimum of Kshs22 billion. We will be hoping that the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) will get together and look at this seriously in the course of this year. They will then tell us whether they are prepared to do these labs as part of the digital literacy programme, where they are going to get the 22,000 labs and perhaps, even the best mode of pushing this money for construction. It may well be through conditional grants which are passed through the NG-CDF. The NG-CDF can take up that money, go and construct these labs and classrooms. Otherwise, we will end up with the same issues that we have. Similarly, we had recruitment of interns that had been proposed with money through MOEST. There is no clarity on how that was to be done. We recommended that this money be pushed over to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) which would either recruit the interns or additional teachers. At least, we are sure there will be teachers. We just saw the head teachers claiming they need 1.2 teachers. They will have 1.2. So, we will play good. In conclusion, we all agree that we need more resources. They are still required. We need to decongest our facilities and provide teachers. We also need books and laboratory equipment. We need more funds in our universities otherwise the quality of education for our children will suffer. I am glad people get it as we talk in this House."
}