Gatanga MP tables motion seeking to have primary school children given bursaries

Gatanga MP Edward Mureu. [Courtesy, Parliament]

Gatanga MP Edward Mureu has tabled a motion in the National Assembly seeking a review of the scope of Education Bursary under the National Government Constituency Development Fund capitation for learners in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools.

The MP argued the failure to extend bursaries to primary and junior secondary schools on the assumption that the levels of education are free is a misnomer since the government capitation per pupil is inadequate to cater for the mandatory materials required for Competence Based Curriculum thereby affecting pupils whose parents are unable to meet the attendant costs.

Muriu argued that the continued exclusion of the allocation of bursaries to primary and secondary schools violates the provisions of Article 27 of the Constitution and slows down the attainment of universal basic education in Kenya and called for the bursary scheme to be extended to learners in primary school to cater for Competence Based Curriculum requirements.

"Pursuant to section 48A of the National Government Constituency Development Act, 2015, the NG-CDF Board in each constituency approves additional allocation to the education bursary scheme in order to support teaching and learning-related activities associated with CBC education including school feeding programmes," said Mureu.

The MP seeks to have the government revise the capitation per student in primary schools from the current Sh 1,420 per year to at least Sh 7,760 as the minimum optimal capitation factoring the new Competence Based Curriculum education system and the prevailing high cost of living.

Mureu said that article 43(1)(f) of the constitution as read together with article 53 (1)(b) entitles every child to free quality and compulsory basic education mindful of the fact that access to funding for education immensely contributes to the realization of universal basic education in the country.

He told the house that section 48 of the NG-CDF act establishes education bursary schemes for every constituency towards access to basic education noting that section 48A of the NG-CDF act further allows for affirmative action mechanisms of allocating additional funds to cater for education bursary schemes and other teaching and learning related activities.

"NG-CDF act caps allocation to bursary schemes under the fund at not more than 35% of total constituency allocation in a financial year thereby limiting the number of cases that may be supported to access basic education further concerned that the NG-CDF board has only been approving bursary support for secondary and tertiary education and not primary schools and recently created junior secondary schools," said Mureu.