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{
    "id": 91107,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/91107/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 77,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Samoei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 204,
        "legal_name": "William Samoei Ruto",
        "slug": "william-ruto"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is a very important question. I can mention three avenues that we are exploring. The first avenue is the Kenya Open University, which in one year, should come into operation. Under this programme, we want to ensure that students who want to join university for courses that do not require much contact between the lecturers and the students can learn through an open-university process. Through the internet, in a clearly defined mechanism, they can learn from the stations where they are without necessarily going to the university itself. Other countries have open learning universities that have 800 to three million students. This is an easier and flexible process, both for the students and the university. To take care of that particular need, especially the pressure on our facilities, we are considering, and the implementation is well on course, that within one year, we will have a Kenya Open University. Secondly, we have a lot of idle capacity in our universities. This is capacity that can be tapped if we invest a little money, especially in what has come to be known as stalled projects in our universities. For example, if you look at Egerton University, you will find that we have capacity for an extra 4,000 students if we can complete the projects that are stalled. With the Treasury, we are considering to establish a Universities Board, which will make cheap money available to our universities and through the Module II mechanism, they can pay back the money without any additional burden to the Exchequer. Thirdly, we have a lot of idle capacity in our private universities. For a very long time, students who qualify through the Joint Admissions Board have limited access to university education that is sponsored by the Government to public universities. We think, and we are discussing, that there is, in fact, a possibility that we can use facilities in private universities through the Government paying the same amount of money it pays to public universities to private universities. That money can be paid for places in private universities. We know that this is a very touchy issue because private universities want to keep positions to themselves, but we think that there is additional capacity in our private universities. There is no reason why the Government cannot access those facilities and pay the same amount of money for the same quality and standard of education. These are the avenues we are exploring. I can bring a comprehensive position, if the Member so desires."
}