Mutula urges Kibaki to sign tough Bill on basic schooling

Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo has urged President Kibaki to sign into law a Bill seeking to compel parents to take their children to school.

Mr Kilonzo on Sunday said Education Bill 2012 and Kenya Institute of Education Curriculum Development (KIECD) Bill, both approved by Parliament, would be the best gifts the President could offer to schools as they open a new calendar Monday.

Under the Education Bill 2012, learning has been made compulsory from pre-school to Form Four— which together constitutes basic education. Previously, pre-school was not compulsory and basic education only covered primary level.

Any parent who fails to send their child to school risks going to jail for a maximum of one year or pay a Sh100, 000 penalty, or both.

“It shall be the responsibility of every parent or guardian to admit or cause to be admitted his or her child, as the case may be, to a basic education institution,” the Bill says.

On the other hand, the KIECD Bill seeks to give Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) full control of the curricula.

According to the proposed law, KIE will also change its name to Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to give it a wider mandate and rope in more education stakeholders.

The agency shall impose fines on institutions which offer unapproved curricula and international curriculum because General Certificate of Secondary Education shall have to be vetted by its team.

The Bill seeks to expand the membership of the academic committee, which is charged with developing syllabi for schools.

If President Kibaki signs it into law, it will mean that representatives from all public and private university education faculties will sit on the committee.

Currently, the University of Nairobi is the only institution that has representation in the committee, according to the Education Act.

The law is not specific on which other universities should be included in the committee that determines what pupils learn at school, but says “the maintained colleges of Kenya may be represented”.

The Commission for University Education, Kenya Institute of Special Education, Kenya National Examinations Council, Teachers Service Commission and the State Department of Education will provide other members for the committee.

The role of the team involves co-ordination of institutions devoted to the creation of curricula to be followed by primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. It also develops standards for the training of early childhood tutors as well as syllabi for professional trainers.

As a government agency, it also conducts research on education matters and gives recommendations to the government on the changes that should be made.

However, it is the ministry of Education that calls the shots on how the committee is supposed to function and what duties it has to perform. The government may also increase some of the functions from time to time.