Dr. Valerian Kilemi Mwiria

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 481 to 490 of 862.

• 1 Aug 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, the 11,000 teachers to be recruited are more than the number of the teachers who have retired or died. Only 7,000 teachers have retired or died. So, in addition to that, we are recruiting an additional 4,000 teachers. I said earlier that this is not enough, but I think it is progress when compared to previous years when we were not recruiting any additional teachers outside those we have lost through natural attrition. So, I cannot say when, but I must say that we are making progress. In the next two to three ... view
• 1 Aug 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is true that the problem of lack of supervision has been there. It has been there but we are, again, making some strides in this direction. We are recruiting more quality assurance personnel. Last year, we recruited 4,000 staff. This year, we are going to recruit some more. So, there is going to be improvement. About teacher absenteeism, as supervisors, we have to also ask the Boards of Governors (BoGs) and Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) to be partners with the Government with regard to ensuring that this kind of problem does not recur, because it ... view
• 1 Aug 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, because of the numbers that are being employed, and given the many teachers that we have out there, it is going to be the case for a while that there will be teachers who are not employed. I realise that there are districts that have more problems than others in that they have invested more in teacher-training, and many of their teachers have not been employed, but I doubt that even in Kisii there are teachers who trained in 1998 who have not been employed. Our policy has been to give preference to those who ... view
• 1 Aug 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry would be quite happy to ask those headteachers to exit. However, we need the support of the BoGs and the sponsors. Often, the biggest problem, when it comes to removing teachers who are not performing, is the sponsor and the BoGs. So, I would like to call upon Members of Parliament, being very key stakeholders in education in their respective constituencies, to always convene BoGs and sponsors and agree to write letters on headteachers whom they think should be removed on the basis of poor performance. Once such a request is made by BoGs ... view
• 1 Aug 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in terms of geography, I did say that there is already an emphasis by the Ministry to spend more in areas that have been historically disadvantaged. That is why we have special grants for ASAL areas in terms of laboratory equipment, special grants and so on. Personally, I have also spoken very strongly about affirmative action with regard to admission to top schools and even to university in this country. I have said many times that it is up to Parliament to pass a Motion on affirmative action to ensure that small secondary schools are not ... view
• 31 Jul 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) I am aware that three dormitories and property belonging to students at St. Monica Chakol Girls High School in Teso District were destroyed by fire on 22nd July, 2007. Investigations to establish the cause of the fire which destroyed property estimated at Kshs3,356,160 are not yet complete. (b) The Ministry is awaiting the results of the investigations before deciding on the next course of action. Meanwhile, the students are being accommodated in classrooms and the library as a temporary measure as the relevant groups arrange to meet in order to chart ... view
• 31 Jul 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when discussions take place, the Ministry will participate. If there is any way that the Ministry could put in some money to take care of that emergency, that would be done. But we cannot decide on that until the meeting of all the groups that have an interest in the school takes place. view
• 31 Jul 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in all the projects that are undertaken by the Ministry, there are measures to ensure that all the relevant procedures are followed before buildings are complete. However, there are other buildings that are constructed by the communities or through the CDF. It is also up to us, as the hon. Members or whoever puts money in those kinds of programmes, to ensure that the relevant building procedures are adhered to. We do our best to ensure that, that happens. I must say that when Prof. Ojiambo will be President, I will remind her that she once ... view
• 31 Jul 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this particular school in Teso District is one of the many schools that require support 2828 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 31, 2007 by the Government. As you know, resources are limited. That is why it is not so easy to say that we can be sure to give Kshs3.3 million to any one school. This is because this money has not been factored in the Budget. Whatever help can be obtained, we shall try to do better than providing the Kshs200,000 depending on the circumstances. view
• 18 Jul 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) I am not aware that there are no computerized systems in all public universities. However, I am aware that some sections of the public universities have computerized systems at different levels, especially in the areas of finance and registration of students. (b) I am also aware that there have been some reports of students complaining about lost scripts and marks. However, these are isolated cases and universities are doing their best to ensure that this kind of problem does not recur. It has, however, been established that this has nothing to ... view