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{
"id": 1525272,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525272/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
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"legal_name": "Farah Maalim Mohamed",
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"content": " Fair enough. I will give Hon. Abdul Haro an opportunity and then come to the ladies. Where is Hon. Tindi Mwale? Is he in the Chamber? After him, we will move to the gracious ladies—Hon. Jematiah and her neighbour— and then we will go to the other side."
},
{
"id": 1525273,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525273/?format=api",
"text_counter": 205,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Bill. At the outset, I must thank its sponsor, Hon. Mary Wamaua. As my colleagues have said before me, this Bill is timely."
},
{
"id": 1525274,
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"text_counter": 206,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "It is proposing to change the Basic Education Act, 2013 to establish a Sub-county Education Board in each sub-county. Its objective is to decentralise education oversight by creating localised boards under the guidance of the County Education Board. This Bill is very important because it touches on the education sector at a time when we have many crises. We are grappling with the question around capitation in our schools, the university funding model, inadequate Junior Secondary School (JSS) classrooms and laboratories, and lack of infrastructure and teachers, among many other challenges. One of the theatres where these challenges play out is at the sub-county level, where they exhibit their ugly heads in a big way."
},
{
"id": 1525275,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525275/?format=api",
"text_counter": 207,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "It should not be lost to us that education is the equaliser of society. We also have a lot of other things that make us not realise that equalisation beats education as the equaliser of society. For example, we have differences in some of our regions, such as socio-economic inequalities, systemic inequalities, and, as I said earlier, a lack of infrastructure."
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"text_counter": 208,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "This Bill is very important for the reasons I have mentioned. However, there are certain areas I would like Hon. Mary Wamaua to look at so that she can enrich them. For example, Clause 2 of the Bill proposes to insert New Section 18A(3)(b) of the Bill which states:"
},
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"id": 1525277,
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"text_counter": 209,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
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{
"id": 1525278,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525278/?format=api",
"text_counter": 210,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "“(3) The Sub-county Education Board shall – (b) in consultation with residents of the sub-county, recommend institutions that may receive funding for infrastructural development funding”. This is a good proposal which enhances public participation and should be strengthened. Despite our many challenges in the education sector, why are we only zeroing down on infrastructural development funding? This can be expounded a little bit to include other areas slightly. 50 per cent of our students are left behind due to a lack of appropriate electronic devices and electricity connectivity."
},
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"id": 1525279,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525279/?format=api",
"text_counter": 211,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Clause 2 of the Bill proposes to insert New Section 18C, which states: “(1) every Sub-county Education Board shall consist of a Chairperson and six other members appointed by the Cabinet Secretary through an open and competitive process”. Hon. Mary Wamaua can also consider this. I am wondering why these members of the Board should be appointed through a competitive process, yet they are already working in other institutions. They are the sub-county Director of Education, the County Executive in charge of education, one person designated by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and others. They need to be appointed by those institutions to join the Board. Why should we conduct competitive recruitment? That is an area Hon. Wamaua can look at."
},
{
"id": 1525280,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525280/?format=api",
"text_counter": 212,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Hon. Wamaua talked very nicely about including Members of Parliament on this Board. I beg to differ slightly. Perhaps you may look at it from my perspective. Members of Parliament provide oversight. Given that and the challenges we have had before, including with the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), there is no need to include a Member of Parliament in this Sub-County Education Board. The Members of Parliament can remain to provide oversight, and other members can become part of the Board. Clause 2 of the Bill proposes to insert New Section 18C(2)(f), which talks about the members of the Board. It states: “(f) two educationists of at least five years standing based in sub-county nominated by Parents-Teachers Association in the Sub-county. This is a very good idea, which I support fully. However, if you read it in relation to New Section 18G of the Bill, it states: “18G. A Sub-county Education Board may from time to time co-opt in its membership such persons not being more than three as it is satisfied that possess skills and experience necessary in the discharge of the functions of the Sub-county Education Board”. Once you have these two professionals and educationists, I do not think the purpose of having a co-opted member was to bring in experience and expertise. We already have the expertise. It is my opinion that the two experts who are there are sufficient. We do not need to co-opt other experts because those can play the same role. Clause 2 of the Bill proposes to insert New Section 18C (6), which states: “(6) The staff of the Sub-county Education Board shall be persons serving under the County Public Service Board of the respective county”. We can also rethink that because looking at the separate functions of the county governments and National Government in relation to education, one is concerned with Early Childhood Development (ECD), and the other with basic education. You may find some challenges along the way if the staff of the Sub-county Education Board are from the County Public Service Board. Finally, Clause 2 of the Bill proposes to insert New Section 18F, which states: “18F. The members of the Sub-county Education Board shall be paid by the organisations they represent in the Board such allowances and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1525281,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1525281/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "disbursements for expenses as may be approved by the Cabinet Secretary in consultation with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission”. This is a good idea, but if you want these members to be independent, the Board should pay them, not those institutions that have seconded them. This will ensure independence in the conduct of the Board's business and the uniformity of the allowances to be paid. The Board may decide to pay certain allowances which are not equivalent to the ones paid by other institutions. As I said, New Section 18G, which is being inserted immediately after Section 18 of the principal Act, might not be necessary if we have the other two experts involved."
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