Dr. Valerian Kilemi Mwiria

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 41 to 50 of 862.

• 29 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have appreciated that there are gaps, but I have also stated that we are taking action. We are not waiting for reports of commissions. We are taking action and we will continue to take action. So, we are soon to establish a campus in Marsabit and Isiolo, a technical institute. We have established a university in Garissa. There is one in North Horr. We are going to all the counties that do not have technical institutions and colleges to establish some. So, I would like to assure hon. Bahari that his desire is well taken ... view
• 29 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is in relation to the opening of universities and other campuses. Otherwise, action has already been taken. The report will also help us in terms of improving on the actions that we have already taken. So, there is nothing contradictory about what I have said. I would just like to assure hon. Bahari that we are taking action, and that we will continue to fill in the gaps where Kenyans do not feel the impact of our expansion of higher education in the country. view
• 29 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. view
• 15 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would, first, like to thank Bw. James.M. Kamau and those who have spoken in support of this Motion. It is, indeed, important that we open up our universities to as many young Kenyans as possible who are qualified for that education. One Member argued that it is not fair to cut the students in public universities because they can pay and leave the majority out, because they cannot pay. view
• 15 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I agree with the spirit of the Motion, but I think it is too ambitious. It is too ambitious to expect that in 2011, you could do 75 per cent. First of all, I sympathise with the Member of Parliament, because the Motion was to come last year. The Motion states here that we have to have 75 per cent of the students by 2011. However, 2011 is past, and is not possible. But I want to say it is not realistic even in 2012 for a number of reasons. If you look at what ... view
• 15 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, now, about the parallel programmes, I appreciate hon. Shebesh, hon. Mwathi and others who have picked on that issue; it is very painful that universities are open to you if you can pay. It is a serious problem that we talk about bed space and capacity but it is not an issue when you are a rich student who can find that space. It is also not a problem for you to study medicine or architecture and one year in advance if you have the money to buy that space. It is an issue that ... view
• 15 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the amount that the Government is providing to universities is not enough to educate as many students as we would like. Parallel or Module II courses are an income generation project for universities, as they are faced with a situation where the Government cannot put in all the money; universities have to find a way of being innovative and raise extra income to be able to support their own lecturers and students. It is as we have two systems in our universities. We have a private and a public university in one. In countries where ... view
• 15 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to say that there is a move to continue making university education more readily available; last year alone, eight additional constituent colleges were opened; these include Machakos, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Kibabii, Rongo, Embu, Taita Taveta and Garissa. So, there is a move to keep on opening new institutions; that will increase the numbers but not as dramatically as we would like. In addition to that, there is a plan underway to establish the Open University of Kenya. The Open University of Kenya will have centres in every county in this country; it goes ... view
• 15 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also important to note that there are other avenues in addition to the constituent colleges. Certain public universities have 21 constituent colleges. We have other avenues, including new technical institutes. This year we will have like 20 of them and in the coming year there will be another 20. So, the target is to have a technical institute in every county. Some of the courses they will be offering will be diploma courses that can later be upgraded; more importantly it is another avenue for many students who cannot go directly to university. ... view
• 15 Feb 2012 in National Assembly: There are also 26 private universities in this country. Unfortunately, they are not big. They are small and secondly, they also tend to duplicate a lot of the courses that are already offered in the public universities. The new policy in Government is to encourage upcoming universities to begin to offer other disciplines, especially in the sciences and in engineering. However, most students who also go to private universities have access to Government money in the form of loans. So, there is no discrimination. As long as they have a C plus, they are entitled to loans. Again those private ... view