Dr. Valerian Kilemi Mwiria

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 551 to 560 of 862.

• 19 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it seems like he was not really interested in the answer to this Question. So, if you allow me, I will also take it easy. However, I would like to seek the indulgence of the House that I will need to get a little bit more details on this Question to be able to answer it. I have already talked to the hon. Member and he is agreeable. view
• 19 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will answer it on Wednesday next week. view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. April 18, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 739 (a) The minimum entry grade required for entry to public universities is C plus. (b) The number of students who have attained this grade since 2003/2004 academic year to 2005/2006 academic year is 199,373. (c) The Ministry will take the following steps, among others, to address the problem of admission of students with minimum qualification to public universities:- (i) We are trying to encourage the expansion of the current universities through the upgrading of their campuses to constituent colleges as well as establishing new campuses; we ... view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have given that number because it is what I have been asked to give, but you can estimate. Every year, public universities admit between 10,000 and 12,000 students, while private universities admit, maybe, another 8,000 students. So, about 20,000 students are admitted to universities each year. So, we can say that for the last three years, between 50,000 and 60,000 students have managed to find places in universities. That is just an estimate. I was not asked that question. However, we can get more accurate figures for the question, if he wants. view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the C+ minimum requirement was established from the beginning. The Joint Admissions Board met and decided that, although we cannot accommodate all the students, if you have a C+ and above, you are eligible for admission into a university because you have passed your exams. I agree with Mr. Kamotho that many students got 740 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 18, 2007 grade C+ and above. Last year, 62,000 students got C+ and above but, maybe, only 20 per cent will make it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, last year, the minimum entry was a B+ of 68 points. ... view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not think the situation is as it was when the hon. Member was at the university. I think he has not told us the truth there. Many things have since changed, including the universities opening up. First of all, the Module II Programme is a much more recent phenomenon. Secondly, most of those universities have campuses outside the capital City. For example, Kenyatta University is opening campuses at Kitui and Mombasa. Egerton University has campuses outside the Rift Valley Province and so on. So, all those universities are doing their best. Recently, the President ... view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, "immediately" is very unrealistic term when you are dealing with university education. You cannot just decide. You cannot declare, "let there be light", and there is light. We need to plan for it. We are just encouraging universities to expand more. But, I would like to let the hon. Member know that, that will take a bit of time. Some of the measures that we are implementing now were considered three or four years ago. We are getting there progressively. We hope that some of the ideas we are proposing now will be implemented in the ... view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Members are clapping as if we have not made that point before. We have said that many times! In fact, I have said it here many times that we are asking universities to de-link admission from accommodation. That point has been made many times and we are negotiating that with the universities. Secondly, the Module II degree programmes are for students who are, actually, not accommodated at the universities. But I agree that is a tough one because the universities are using that to generate some income. So, we are insisting that universities de-link admission ... view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you remember, that is the second point that I made. We will de-link admission from bed space in public universities. So, the Ministry is insisting that universities should no longer tie bed space to accommodation. We are insisting on that measure to ensure that we accommodate more students. So, already, that is something that we believe in. We are insisting that it must done. view
• 18 Apr 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as long as you get to university with a C+, you are entitled to apply for a loan. But the resources are limited. So, when the resources are limited, we get back to the same point - who gets admitted. It is competition just like with the bursaries. It is not possible! But we would like that to remain open. view