Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 945932,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/945932/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 257,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mavoko, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Patrick Makau",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2328,
        "legal_name": "Patrick Makau King'ola",
        "slug": "patrick-makau-kingola"
    },
    "content": "We have the Youth Fund and Women Fund and we have never adequately addressed the idea of empowering the youth even before we give them cash. We have never embedded entrepreneurship and trained them on how to run their businesses. I think it is high time this policy was implemented and remained truthful to the core. I want to agree with Members and particularly one speaker who said universities are engaging in certificate and diploma courses. Long time ago, going to the university was a pipe dream. Every child dreamt of going there. Today, I see the University of Nairobi (UoN) and other universities offering certificate and diploma courses and this is demoralising graduates. When you qualify to go to a university, you know it is a place of learning. I think the inclusion of certificate and diploma courses in the universities, is not noble. We need to leave universities to offer degree courses and promote more tertiary institutions to offer certificates and diplomas. So, we can have 100 per cent transition and the students can have an urge to go to higher learning institutions like universities. Indeed, when I look at the world all over, technology is here with us. We cannot ignore the fact that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is real and it makes about 30 per cent of businesses. If we introduce technical studies particularly computer related ones, we will be helping very many youths. We can start this from primary and secondary schools, but we should make it competitive. If you go to China and the other tiger economies, you will find very many school-going pupils and students being involved in building mother boards and watches. We can also do the same in Africa. I know Jubilee had a noble idea of introducing computers to primary schools, but we are not serious. If we were serious, we would see computer libraries working and they should not be a political gimmick. Going forward, if we are going to legislate and see laws made in this House implemented to the benefit of our citizens and the people we represent, it will be very much in order to have anybody from Standard VIII to Form IV having an academic certificate based on their talents. The other day, I listened to the CS for Education saying that you should not hate your child because of bringing you a D in the House. If we give someone with a D or an E education that is based on their talent, we will never have a loser. Everybody will be a winner. Indeed, I agree. Let us have that transition from Form IV, but where are we going? I know the Government has put in some effort in making secondary school education free. Now I know we have day schools that are almost free. They only charge lunch. Yes, we may have free education, but where do we leave those people? There is a saying that you better have a fool who is not educated than one who is educated. Most of the bad habits of our young people like chewing miraa, muguka and smoking are because they have become idle. As one speaker said here, some of them are graduates with first class degrees who have no jobs. This is out of their certification. You find someone with a first class degree in English, Kiswahili or Anthropology and they are not absorbed in the market. Hence they get bored. That is why it is giving rise to such habits. You go to our estates and you find very many idlers. I have been trying to speak to them. You find they are university graduates. It is a pity. I agree with Members who say we must introduce technical subjects that will empower our children. When they leave school, there will be plenty of employment opportunities. They can employ themselves. If you have a course that will help you enhance yourself in terms of employing yourself, then it is going to help you very much. It will address the issue of unemployment. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}