I will implement education report, say Ruto

President William Ruto (centre) is optimistic the report will fill existing funding gaps in institutions of higher learning. [PCU]

President William Ruto has indicated that he will lead the full implementation of the taskforce report on education reforms.

Dr Ruto said unlike similar reports in the past that have been left to gather dust, the Working Party on Education Reforms (WPER) report will receive maximum attention.

He made the commitment when he received the report from Prof Raphael Munavu who was the chair of the team at State House, Nairobi, yesterday.

Dr Ruto promised that his government will work with all stakeholders to ensure the report that seeks to bring equity in the education sector is fully implemented.

He said the report implementation will commence immediately.

"The transformation of our national education system is now underway. These recommendations contained in the report of the Working Group shall be implemented, not in the future, but immediately," Ruto said.

The Head of State directed cabinet secretaries who will be involved in the implementation of the report and the Attorney General to facilitate the process. Under the directive, the President wants measures put in place to help with the implementation of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Ruto directed a relook at quality assurance and standards, teacher education and management; equitable access and inclusion in education.

He also directed a review of laws governing the education sector, governance and financing of education. Other issues the Head of State directed to be looked into include the use of technology and pertinent and contemporary issues affecting education.

The President was optimistic that the report will finally fill existing funding gaps in institutions of higher learning. "We started implementing the recommendations when you were still working on it. We launched the new funding model for our university students to address the funding challenges,'' said Dr Ruto.

He pledged that the government will provide enough funds to finance the education sector to guarantee equity for all learners irrespective of their family backgrounds.

"We will provide funds to fund the new funding model. As a government, we will not allow our universities to slip back into debts. During the budget, there were some gaps that were not addressed but we will ensure we have enough money through the supplement budget to solve this," said Ruto.

He affirmed the State's commitment to work with committees in the Senate and Parliament to ensure all legislative requirements for implementing the report are put in place. Ruto promised to prioritise quality assurance, teacher management, promotions and motivation.

''The government has allocated Sh1 billion in this year's budget to ensure our teachers are motivated through promotions. We will leverage technology in the delivery of education,'' he stated.

Scholarships

Dr Ruto said going forward, higher education in the country will be fully financed to ensure a 100 per cent transition from secondary. ''In future, we will not be giving grants but scholarships in order to hit the 100 per cent transition,'' he pledged.

He said as the government continues investing heavily in the education sector, it is its duty to account for all investments.

''To get value for our huge investment of Sh630 billion in education we must account for it," he stated.

Dr Ruto said his administration is working with the private sector to ensure internship and work opportunities are provided to the graduates as they leave the university.

''We will work on private partnership so that 50,000 learners who graduate from our universities will be absorbed in an internship,'' he assured.