first kisii county government education conference

8/11/2019 First Kisii County Government Education Conference

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GOVERNMENT OF KENYA

SPEECH BY

H.E HON JAMES E.O. ONGWAE, CBS, EBS, OGW

GOVERNOR, KISII COUNTY

DURING THE OFFICIAL OPENING

OF THE 1STKISII COUNTY EDUCATION CONFERENCE

HELD AT KISII UNIVERSITY GROUNDS

ON WEDNESDAY 13 TH AUGUST, 2014.


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Salutations Our Chief Guest Prof. John Akama- ViceChancellor- Kisii University,

The representative of Prof. Kaimenyi The Deputy Governor, Kisii County - Hon. JoashMaangi Speaker, Kisii County Assembly - Hon.KerosiOndieki

Members of County Assembly present Distinguished Scholars Distinguished members of various Boards andorganisations

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen0


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Welcome: I wish to take this opportunity to welcome youall to Kisii County. I want to thank you all, mostsincerely, for honouring our invitation toattend this conference and trust that you willnot only find your stay here comfortable, butalso intellectually stimulating as we deliberateon ways and means of enhancing qualityeducation in Kisii County.

I am indeed humbled by the huge turnout byour distinguished guests; the Kisii Countyprofessionals and particularly our people fromthe diaspora community - which attests to the

concern you all have on the issues we will bediscussing over the next three days.


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Background

Ladies and gentlemen,

The hosting of this conference is a culminationof a series of discussions we have been havingfor over a year now on how to address thedeclining standards of education in KisiiCounty, as evidenced by the poor performanceof our schools in national exams.

On 11 th June last year , I convened an EducationStakeholders meeting at Mwalimu Hotel ,where we discussed the challenges facing theeducation sector as well as strategies forenhancing quality education in the county. Amajor recommendation from the meeting wasthat a follow-up conference be held to


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deliberate further on ways and means ofenhancing quality education in Kisii County.This conference today, is the fulfilment of thisrecommendation.Ladies and Gentlemen ,

The fact that the educational standards withinour county have gone down over the years iswell known to all of us. It is only a few years

back (2011) when, to the embarrassment ofevery Omogusii leader and professional, themedia published the KCPE results revealingthat the worst performing school in Kenya wasfrom Gusiiland .The irony of it was that ataround the same time, Kisii District was

providing or had just provided nationalleadership in the education sector including


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common root of having been educated in thesesame schools which are now performingpoorly. The fact of the matter, therefore, is that

given the right environment, our children cancomfortably compete with other students inKenya.

It is for this reason, that this conference hasbeen organised: that is, to provide a platformfor bringing together all the key stakeholdersin the education sector, (students, parents,teachers, sponsors, business community,professionals, and leaders) in a forum wherewe can share our ideas on how to offer ourchildren with quality education to enable themparticipate and contribute effectively in nation


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building, as well as in the pursuit of ameaningful and fulfilling life.

Objectives

It is with this in mind that we have chosen thetheme for this conference to be: EnhancingQuality Education for Development. Toprovide guidance during our deliberations, wehave identified four main objectives for thisconference, which include, but are not limitedto the following:

i. To develop strategies of implementingeducational resolutions of the 1 st countyeducation stakeholder s conference. (These


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resolutions will be presented to you duringthis conference);

ii. To constitute county subject panels forimproved curriculum delivery;

iii. To come up with strategies for developingleadership and management skills forteachers, school heads, quality assuranceand standards officers and managementboards;

iv. To identify and organise to mobilizeresources for improved quality education inthe county.


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Devolved Functions

Ladies and gentlemen,I now wish to briefly highlight the currentsituation on the ground, which forms thebackdrop to the issues for our discussions andthe recommendations that you will be making.

However, before I do so, let me in brief; addressthe County s locus standi on this matter. Inother words, what is the legal basis for ourintervention in the education sector?As you are all aware, the Constitution of Kenya

clearly outlines the functions of the CountyGovernment as relates to education. According


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to the 4th Schedule of the Constitution, CountyGovernments are responsible for Pre-Primary,Village Polytechnics, Home craft centres andChildcare facilities. Clearly, the educationsector has not, therefore, been fully devolved asbasic education (primary and secondary),tertiary and university education have beenretained by the National Government.

Although the Constitution allocates theeducation sector to the two levels of

government, Section 189(2) provides thatGovernment at each level, and different

governments at the county level, shall co-operate in the performance of functions andexercise of powers and, for that purpose, mayset up joint committees and authorities . The


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Constitution, therefore, creates a window forthis type of consultation - for us to move ouragenda forward on matters of importance toour county.My government, in accordance with chapter55 of the Constitution, has therefore taken thenecessary measures, including affirmativeaction programmes, to ensure that our childrenaccess relevant education and training.

My government is, therefore, ready to supportand partner with all stakeholders, includingthe National Government, in ensuring thatquality education is offered at all levels.

Apart from the issue of collaboration with thenational government, our interest in all levels


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of education stems from two majorconsiderations: First is that as a CountyGovernment, we are the first in the firing linewhen our schools don t perform well; secondly,as an employer, we have a keen interest in thetype of education our current and futureapplicants are receiving as this will affect theireffectiveness and performance in running ourbeloved County.

Current PerformanceLadies and Gentlemen:

In 2013, Kisii County registered a Kenya

Certificate of Secondary Education mean scoreof 4.96, a slight improvement from 2012 when


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the mean score was 4.43 , and 2011 when itwas 4.34 . During the same period, our Countymoved from position 33 out of 47 in 2012 toposition 25 out of 47 in 2013 , nationally. Wealso posted 12 schools in the KCSE top 100 category, with three District Schools beingranked among the top 100 -district schoolscategory nationally. Kisii School was position26 nationally, while Nyakoiba was position

three in District schools category nationally.In terms of grades, the County KCSE 2013results recorded some encouragingimprovement. The A plain were 74 ; A-were 274 , B were 592, while the B plainwere 1,069 out of a total of 90,599 candidateswho sat for the exam.


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As we commend the schools that did well in2013 KCSE , I would like to note with concernthat academic performance in the County stillremains low in overall results. This isevidenced by the fact that out of 90,599 candidates in 2013, only 4,760 performedabove average translating to a meager 5.2percent . The other worrying trend is the factthat all the top ten students in the County came

from one school; that is Kisii School.This raises questions on the performance of therest of the schools.

Generally, the performance was poor, as evenschools in marginalized areas like in Wajir and

Mandera counties outshined us. For instance,the last ranked school in Wajir had an index of


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14.1 with 44 candidates; the last ranked schoolin Mandera had an index of 12.3 with 63 candidates while the last ranked school in ourCounty had an index of 11.5 with 48candidates. This is indeed a serious concern.

Turning to primary education, theperformance in KCPE was not as encouraging.In 2013 , the County registered a mean score of242 out of 500 , which is below the average of 250 , making the County to take position 34 outof 47. Generally, the County performeddismally when compared to other Countieswith similar features like Kirinyaga , which hada mean score of 274 . Hardship Countiesperformed well than us for example WestPokot had a mean score of 262 and Makueni had


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267 . The last ranked school in the County hada mean of 171 as compared to other countieslike Makueni which had a mean of 211 ,Lamu192 , Mombasa193 , TaitaTaveta178 ,Kilifi174 , Kajiado 207 , West Pokot230, andMarsabit202 .


In 2013, the top ten KCPE positions were takenmostly by private schools led by Precious HopeAcademy whereas Public Primary Schools tookthe last ten positions in the County.

In the same year, a total of 914 schools

undertook the KCPE Examinations. Out ofthese, 349 scored an average of 250 translating


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to 38 per cent. However, this was animprovement from 2012 when the mean scorewas 38 per cent where 872 schools undertookthe exam but 329 schools performed above theaverage mean of 250 . Bearing in mind that thisis the foundation onto which education isanchored, is indeed a major area of concern.

Situation AnalysisLadies and gentlemen, I now wish to verybriefly contextualise the issues and also offersome insights on areas that need urgentattention, and on which we need to focus our

attention during this conference.


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Kisii County has a population of about1.3million out of whom 79 per cent or 1.07million are children and youth aged betweenzero and 35 years desiring an educationalinstitution for learning.

To appreciate the magnitude of the problembefore us, it is important to note the following:1. First is the number of institutions available

within the County: This large number of ourchildren and youth desirous of an educationhave to fight to join the following institutionswithin the County:

694 public ECD Centres, 694 public Primary Schools,


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328 public Secondary Schools, 45 public Youth Polytechnics,

2 Technical Training Institutes, 7 Colleges, 8 University Campuses and 1 Public University.

2. The inadequacy of infrastructure asevidenced by total enrolment, whichcurrently stands at 552,935 students in allinstitutions of learning within the County.This is about half the number of the agecohort typically seeking placement in aninstitution of learning. The rest have to goelsewhere, or just stay out of school.


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3. Thirdly is the quality of education availableto those who manage to secure a place in ourinstitutions as it relates to teacher /studentratio, and staffing. In Kisii County, theteacher/student ratio stands at 1:37 in ourpublic primary schools, 1:31 in publicsecondary schools; and 1:53 in our youthpolytechnics. Given that the ideal ratio is1:40 . This looks good, but some schools have

more than others. This calls for properbalancing.

4. Fourthly is the low transitional rate fromprimary to secondary and tertiaryinstitutions.

5. Lack of career guidance and counseling forlearners.


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6. Insufficient technical skills base to addressthe realities or challenges facing society.

7. Inadequate Quality Assurance and Standardspersonnel.

8. Very high teacher student ratio, whichstands at primary 1:37 and in secondary1:31 and 1:53 in youth Polytechnics.

9. Limited land for expansion.

10. Limited resources for capacity building ofteachers and management boards.

Ladies and gentlemen, We face problems withthe constitution in the area of infrastructure

development that is a function of the national government. When disasters occur in schools


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say for example a roof being blown off duringa storm or collapse of toilets, managementcommittees run to the county and though thisfunction is not devolved, we are expected toassist.

We are asking the national government toconsider donating this function to countieswhich are better placed to tackle infrastructureissues.

Also, we seek increased support for co-curricular activities. In the area of primaryeducation for instance, Kisii County receives apaltry Kshs 900,000 /= to cater for drama,music, athletics and special needs. Taking into

account the 634 primary schools and 280,000 pupils, this amount is a drop in the ocean.


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Secondary schools are not any better becausethe county receives KShs. 850,000 to cater forthe needs of 356 schools and 101,000 students.This is too little as the funds are expected tofinance all sporting activities. Schools keepcoming to the county offices seeking help but ifthese functions were devolved, such situationswon t arise.


At the County level, we have already embarkedon various initiatives aimed at laying a firmfoundation for improving the standards ofeducation for our children. Having got themandate for Early Childhood Education, my

government has carried out the following inthe FY 2013/2014 :


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For ECD

We are constructing two ECD classroomsin every ward or a total of 90 classroomswithin the county.

We have recruited 1,184 ECD teachers,and will be recruiting more in thisfinancial year.

We have purchased and distributedteaching and learning materials to allECD Centres.

We have carried out a baseline survey onthe status of ECD Centres as the basis for

further intervention.


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Under Youth Polytechnics, which is also adevolved function, my Government hasinitiated measures to enhance the qualityof Vocational Training, which is a keyelement towards achieving Vision 2030 in this County.

We have already carried out a baseline

survey on the status of Youth Polytechnicsin the County. Purchased and distributed tools andequipment to all Youth Polytechnics inthe County.


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We are also constructing 9workshops in9 Youth Polytechnics that were identifiedto be very needy and are underconstruction.

Also, my government has enacted theKisii County Bursaries Fund Act, 2014 through which KShs.45 million shillingshas already been disbursed equally to allthe Wards to assist needy students accessan education. In the current financial

year, we have set aside Kshs.two millionper ward for the bursary scheme, thisamounts to Kshs. 90 million


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Proposed Programmes and Projects 2014/2015

Ladies and gentlemen,During this new financial year, my

government has made proposals to build onehome craft center in every Sub-County.Further, we have plans to construct and equipmore ECDE classrooms and Youth Polytechnicworkshops, recruit senior staff in ECDEmanagement to oversee standards assurance.We shall recruit more teaching staff for bothECDE and Youth Polytechnics.

We also intend to partner with the NationalGovernment and other stakeholders in


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promoting primary and Secondary Educationin this County.

My government will continue to prioritizeeducational issues for purposes of enhancingthe quality of Education in the County. Weshall spearhead and support relevanteducational reforms, so as to enhanceefficiency and effectiveness in educationaladministration and management, ensuring thatthere is prudent governance and managementof resources, and building and strengthening

genuine partnership and collaboration amongeducational stakeholders.


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I would like to let you know that we arecommitted to implementing the Kisii Countydevelopment plan in a bid to improve thelivelihoods of Kisii County residents. In the areaof health services , we have made strides in ourquest to provide quality and affordablehealthcare services. We have finalizedprotocols to elevate Kisii Level Five Hospitalinto a teaching and referral hospital, incollaboration with Kisii University. We intendthat the hospital be the third Level Six hospital in the County after Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital inEldoret. Through Public, Private Partnerships,we have made available services like kidney


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dialysis thus patients no longer have to travelto Nairobi and Eldoret for this service.

In the area of road infrastructure, we haveopened and graveled over 400km of road inthe wards and in urban areas like Kisii Town.We plan to do even more roads this year.


Trial runs for the avocado industry have beencompleted and the factory is currently carryingout small-scale production. The venture is setto create more than 600 direct and indirect

jobs for our people. We have identified aninvestor and negotiations are at an advanced


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stage to construct high-end Sugar andsoapstone factories in South Mugirango.

In the area of agriculture, we have created avalue addition directorate with experts inmarketing and food processing. Thisdepartment will offer expertise and extensionservices to farmers. We have also partneredwith the private sector to offer this service inspecific value chains like bananas, legumes andavocado. We have signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding with various Indian companiesto assist us set up value addition industrieswhich have confirmed that we can we can setup value addition factories for honeyprocessing; brown sugar; and bananaprocessing , for a start.


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In urban planning, we have embarked on anelaborate plan to light up all Sub Countyheadquarters using streetlights and high mastlights (mulikamwizi). In Kisii Town, we haverepaired the existing streetlights and acontractor is working on a solar powered streetlighting project to light up the CBD.

In sports, renovation of the Gusii stadium tomeet international standards is underway. Twofences, four daises including a VIP shade,toilets and changing rooms will be constructed.The renovation will greatly help Shabana FC, asthe team will generate revenue during sportingactivities besides nurturing upcoming talent inthe region.


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My government embarked on a springprotection programme across the county. Weconstructed a total of 225 springs in the lastfinancial year. Two boreholes will beconstructed in all our 45 wards among otherprojects.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ladies and Gentlemen;I have attempted to very briefly give you anoverview on how we see the challenge beforeus as well as give you an insight into what weat the County are doing to turn around the

deteriorating education standards in ourcounty. We strongly believe that quality


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education is a basic human right to everycitizen of this county, and that it is within ourmandate to provide quality education to everycitizen in Kisii CountyIt is, therefore, my expectation that at the endof this conference, we shall come up withstrategic actions, programmes and timelinesaimed at positioning our institutions oflearning among the top ten best performersnationally and offer our citizens their moraland constitutional right, in the form of qualityand accessible education.

Given the level of expertise in this gathering,and the goodwill that has been demonstrated

by your having accepted to attend, I amconfident that this expectation shall be realised.


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I wish you well in your deliberations; andthank you once again for accepting ourinvitation. With these remarks, Ladies and

gentlemen, it is my pleasure to invite Prof JohnAkama to officially open this conference.

May God bless you all

first kisii county government education conference

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