Gatanga MP Wakili Edward Muriu has tabled a motion in parliament seeking a review of the scope of the Education bursary scheme and the capitation of learners in Primary and Junior Secondary schools.
Murui on Wednesday during a session Parliament said the National Government- Community Development Fund excludes Primary schools and Junior Secondary School learners which he termed as discrimination.
The MP said access to funding for education immensely contributes to the realisation of universal access to basic education in the country.
"Concern that the NG-CDF board has only been approving bursary support to secondary and tertiary education and not primary and Junior Secondary Schools. The failure to extend the bursaries to the Primary and JSS schools is due to an assumption that the two levels of education are free which is a misnomer," he said.
"I am deeply concerned that the continued exclusion of allocation to primary and Junior Secondary Schools violates Article 27 of the constitution which talks about discrimination. It also slows down the attainment of Universal Basic Education in Kenya."
Further, Muriu lamented that the government capitation per learner for the Competence-Based Curriculum is insufficient to cater for the mandatory material requirements of CBC.
He said the insufficient capitation ends up affecting learners whose parents are unable to meet the cost.
Additionally, Muriu raised concern that the NG-CDF allocation of bursary schemes is not more than 35 per cent of the total constituency needs in a financial year.
"This limits the number of cases that may be supported to access basic education," he said.
Muriu's motion seeks to ensure the attainment of Universal basic education through the education bursary schemes under section 48 of NG-CDF Act 2015 be extended to support learners in Primary and Junior Secondary Schools to cater for CBC requirements.
His motion also seeks that 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 the CBC education including School Feeding Programmes.
Muriu also wants the Government to revise the capitation per student in primary schools from the current Sh1,420 per year to at least Sh7,760 being the minimum optimal capitation factoring the new CBC education system and the prevailing high cost of living.
