By Monica Nashon
Parents and other education stakeholders in Kisii County have called for greater involvement in the management of the education sector as Parliament seeks public views on six proposed education Bills.
Speaking during a public participation forum at Kisii National Polytechnic on Thursday, Parents Association Chairman Captain Francis Omayo said parents had often been excluded from key decisions affecting education despite being recognised as important stakeholders under existing education laws.
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Omayo said parents were represented in the education system through the current laws and should retain their voice if the proposed amendments are enacted.
“In most cases parents have been left out, yet they are in the Education Act. We hope with the new amendments, parents will not be left out,” Omayo said.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, is collecting views from members of the public on six Bills covering tertiary education funding and placement, teacher training, basic education, curriculum development, national assessments and national qualifications.
Melly said the Kisii forum brought together stakeholders from different sectors, including teachers’ unions, the media, churches, parents and members of the wider community.
He said the committee began the public participation exercise on September 10 and would proceed to Kericho after completing the Kisii session.
“Today in Kisii, the turnout was good. We have seen teachers’ unions, the media, the church, the community and parents,” Melly said.
Melly said the views presented during the exercise demonstrated that Kenyans wanted to participate in decisions affecting education and have a role in determining how the sector is managed.
Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap, who is also a member of the committee, said the forum had demonstrated the importance of giving different groups an opportunity to express their views, including where stakeholders held opposing positions.
Makilap dismissed claims that public participation had not been conducted, saying the committee was actively engaging Kenyans across the country.
“KNUT and KUPPET are on a clash, but we appreciate that. That is what we call public participation,” Makilap said.
