Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Ministers in talks over calls to retain 8-4-4



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Higher Education minister Margaret Kamar. Photo/FILE
Higher Education minister Margaret Kamar. Photo/FILE 
By TOM MATOKE tmatoke@ke.nationmedia.com And LILLIAN ONYANGO laonyango@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, April 1  2012 at  22:30
IN SUMMARY
  • Higher Education minister says the proposed 2-6-6-3 system is expensive
Higher Education Margaret Kamar and her Education counterpart Mutula Kilonzo are holding talks over calls by various stakeholders to retain 8-4-4 system of learning.
Prof Kamar at the weekend said that she was consulting with the newly appointed Education minister to save the system that is likely to be scrapped if recommendations of a task force on education are implemented.
“I am holding important talks with education minister so that the 8-4-4 system of education is retained because the new system would require about Sh340 billion, which is too expensive for the country,” she told professionals and Nandi Council of Elders at Edens Spring Hotel in Kapsabet.
Prof Kamar said her ministry was against calls to scrap the system because it was not as bad as some people want Kenyans to believe.
Prof Kamar spoke as KNUT leaders from Nandi County led by Mr Boniface Tenai and Mr Josephat Serem accused those who want the system scraped of trying to ruin education.
Mr Serem said the government should use the Sh340 billion needed to implement the proposed 2-6-6-3 system to hire more teachers.
“KNUT wants the Sh340 billion used to hire new teachers on permanent terms. The new system is too costly for a country that is struggling to pay and improve salaries of teachers and civil servants,” Mr Serem said.
Meanwhile, Prof Kamar has urged African States to invest more in science, technology and innovation to spur economic development.
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“It is through this that African countries are going to effectively confront some of the most pressing challenges of development, including youth unemployment, inadequacies in human capital and problems of inclusive growth,” she told a Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) forum at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi, at the weekend.
She said Kenya had developed a STI policy that is entrenched in the national development plan.
The three day meeting aims at getting African countries to compete in the global market, which depends on their ability to innovate and apply the relevant technology. (READ: Team to lead shake-up in 8-4-4 system)

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