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{
    "id": 975050,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/975050/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 177,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 124,
        "legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
        "slug": "samson-ongeri"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The supply of schools materials, including textbooks, started because when I was the Minister for Education, I started the free day secondary school. We provided capitation and bought minimum limited number of books and other facilities for the schools. Since then, this has been scaled up. They have also increased the amount of capitation available for every student. What needs to be done is to synchronise the differences between what is sent to schools and what is available in terms of curriculum development and the books that have been cleared for purchase by the Ministry of Education. One of the biggest drawbacks that I noticed during that time was the fact that people who were given the money picked certain books and left out certain books. Therefore, children were told to bring books from home to fill up the gap that was left. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we now have free primary and secondary school education in this country. This has led to 100 per cent transition rates to fill up all the secondary schools, creating a lot of congestion. There has been an increase in the number of students at the secondary level. They should match the large numbers with the supply of textbooks being availed to the students at that level. If we do not do so, we will be compromising the educational standards that we need to achieve at all times. We are also compromising the ability of our learners to pick up the good practices that they need, so that they can apply them appropriately in future. I do not think that it is fair to congest learners in the classes. I appreciate the difficulties that the Government may be having in giving money for infrastructure development. However, the sooner we address this, the better, so that we have an appropriate student-teacher population and an appropriate student-classroom population. That is the most ideal system of learning, rather than just leaving it open and free for all. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as I support this Statement, I ask the Committee to move with speed and correct this."
}