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{
"id": 953209,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/953209/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kirinyaga, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon Munene Wambugu",
"speaker": {
"id": 13382,
"legal_name": "John Munene Wambugu",
"slug": "john-munene-wambugu"
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"content": "to fill that gap. Unfortunately, as a country or a society, people tend to think that if you fail in Form Four and get grade D or an E, you cannot be productive. It is a wrong thinking. Let us have a situation whereby there is no failure. Whatever you get is what God has given you. You can be productive in other areas, especially if you are given that opportunity to acquire those technical skills. We have heard of serious investments or innovations being done by people who have never got university education. There are so many examples of people who have come up with innovations and yet, they never went to university. It is a noble idea. Kenyans may ask where those resources will come from or how we will achieve this. If the Government was able to achieve 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary school, it is also doable. We can manage 100 per cent transition from secondary to tertiary institutions. Maybe, you could do a course of three or six months, one year or three years, which can give you an opportunity to earn your own money and make a living. It may be costly but is it costly enough for the Government not to invest in it, having invested in a student from nursery to Form Four? The best place to invest our money is in education and training our youth, so that they are equipped with technical skills which can make them earn a living and support graduates from the universities. How much money do we need to invest? It is not too much considering the corruption in this country. If we are able to tame the corruption and wastage, we can have enough money to invest in the education sector, which is investing in the youth and future of this country. It is very important and good for our country to have an educated populace where everybody is educated and doing something meaningful with their lives. This is a noble idea. It is my wish and appeal to honourable Members of this Parliament to support this Motion. Let us not be distracted by the cost implications which may be involved. We all know that a journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step. If the country is determined, we can ensure that all our children do not go to waste after Form Four. Over 85 per cent of Form Four leavers do not go to university. From my research, only about 20 per cent go to tertiary institutions where parents pay fees. What happens to the 55 per cent to almost 60 per cent of the population? We keep on complaining that crime rate and abuse of drugs have gone up because, as a country we have failed to give hope to our youth. A child, after Form Four, will mature or grow if he or she spends more time in a tertiary institution. One will come out of it more polished, mature and ready to invest or contribute to development of the country. Let us not demonise people who fail to get good grades. If you get an E, you are branded a failure. If you get a D, even institutions like the police force cannot admit you. They ask for grade D+ (plus) and above. If you are given some skills and get trained, you end up being more productive than that person who got a B or an A. That is not to say that I was an A student or that I do not appreciate people who get grade A, B and C+ (plus). As a society, community and nation, let us know that we need each other. That student requires others. Every person was born with a God-given gift. You may not be blessed very much academically, but in terms of practical skills or ventures, you could be well-blessed. If you are not given an opportunity to exhaust or to exhibit all opportunities for you to know your line, you may not discover your talent. Take it this way: By the time someone is in Form Four, they say that they want to be a lawyer, engineer or doctor. No one says I want to be a technician in a laboratory. When you completed Form Four and you are not given that chance to move on, you may not discover your talents or skills. Great countries and communities do not come up because of the cream of the society, but because of the manner in which they take care of the masses. From my analysis, only about 15 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."
}