We Will Be Firm And Very Ruthless! – CS Matiangi’s Stern Warning.
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has issued a very
stern warning to people still holding fake education certificates pointing out
that it was very unfortunate to see some leaders promoting a culture of
insincerity and lawlessness.
Speaking during a prize giving ceremony at Maryhill Girls
High School on Friday, Matiang’i lamented about a cartel that had degraded the
education sector for more than a decade through awarding of fake degrees to
unqualified persons thereby jeopardising the country’s education standards in
the eyes of the international community.
“There is a new breed of very strange people running around
with fake degrees. As the CS responsible for Education in this country I will
not sit back and watch the standards of education get compromised at the
expense of innocent children. My number one business is the interest of the
child. We will be firm, objective and ruthless towards this fraud. We will
ensure that the law is followed,” said Matiang’i.
He dared anyone who felt aggrieved by the stringent measures
that his ministry was taking against this fraud that he was very ready to face
them in court.
“If you (politicians) feel so aggrieved go to Parliament and
amend this law (on degrees)! You either have the degree or you don’t.
Otherwise, I am ready to face you in court if so wish!”
The CS further warned school heads colluding with suppliers
to defraud the government that their days were numbered. He said that
corruption, wastage and mismanagement of resources in schools had made the
education of this country to be expensive.
Matiang’i argued that some corrupt officials in the system had
created an artificial deficit in resources sent to schools by the government
saying that the ministry had disbursed enough funds to cater for proper
management of all learning institutions. He warned that his ministry will take
full charge on the management of school resources and ensure that each school could
account for all monies received from the government and it was evident in the
kind of resources and infrastructure on the ground.
“I am not going to watch school heads misappropriate school
funds. My ministry is going to involve a multi-agency team of officers who
include those in the Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to audit these schools and check on wastage or
misappropriation of public resources,” Matiang’i warned.
The Education CS
praised Maryhill Girls High School Principal Ms. Imelda Barasa for
what he termed as prudent management of school resources adding that as a
ministry, they were going to do everything possible to ensure that the school’s
projected development plans was fully implemented without necessarily exerting
any additional burden to the parents.
“Your principal here
is one of the best performing school heads in the country. We will support her
and work with her. I want you (school’s BOM) to schedule a meeting within the
next 7 days to deliberate on alternative sources of raising these funds. I will
come in where necessary to support you and to that effect, my ministry has
today injected sh. 12 million towards that project,” said Matiang’i.
Catholic Archbishop His
Eminence John Cardinal Njue thanked the CS for his efforts to bring sanity in
learning institutions and urged him on. He appealed to students to avoid
engaging themselves with the current political activities during their holidays
as this would ruin their future.
“To you students, we
you go for your holidays, please remain focused in your education. Do not let
this electioneering period distract you from your goals in life. And please
maintain peace,” said Cardinal Njue.
The school’s principal
expressed her pride in her students, staff and parents for the cooperation they
had accorded her administration, the result of which was success after another.
She also thanked the local leadership for the support they have offered the
institution in its endeavour to achieve its goals.
He said that they
were now in the process of starting digital learning which will commence
immediately they put up the required infrastructure.
Maryhill Girls High
School recorded an improvement in last year's KCSE results that were announced by
Education CS Fred Matiang'i. Despite the
shock and disbelief that had hit so many ‘giant’
schools who performed dismally in the 2016 KCSE, 98.4% of Maryhill students
managed to beat the entry point into public universities.
The school attained
a mean standard score of 9.4 of a B plain which was slightly higher than the
previous mean score of 9.23. Maryhill also maintained her number of straight As
(4) recorded in the previous two years consecutively.
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