Some refer to him as Mr fix it, whilst others call him a no nonsense leader who ‘smiles’ twice in a year! Education Cabinet Secretary nominee George Magoha has pledged introduce a system he used at the University of Nairobi while the Vice Chancellor to manage funds.
Speaking in Murang’a on Saturday during an education day at Pioneer School, Magoha said he will establish a computerised system to monitor how funds in the sector are used.
He said this will ensure children, especially from poor backgrounds, will not miss a chance to get an education.
He said he will work in close partnership with other other players in the sector.
“If I will be considered as the next Education CS, I promise to work in consultation with other relevant ministries including that of Interior, and ICT, among others to ensure education in this country is effectively managed,” he said.
He said when he was University of Nairobi vice chancellor, money was properly utilised after the college established a computerised funds management system.
“Funds given to the ministry are taxpayers’ money and it will be wrong if I will work as an individual without consultations. All key stakeholders will be involved as the education sector needs a resilient team to spearhead its agenda,” Magoha said.
He requested the Interior ministry to help in fast-tracking issuance of birth certificates, especially to class eight and form four candidates.
The Knec chairman said that errors in capturing details of some candidates were occasioned by inputting wrong birth certificate serial numbers.
He said the mistake will be rectified to allow all candidates to sit for national examinations.
He also challenged parents to be on the forefront in the education of their children, expressing concern that some parents are busy working to amass wealth leaving the plight of their children at the hands of teachers.
“Parents should nurture their children in responsible ways and avoid this tendency of waiting for teachers to train children on everything. It’s unfortunate that some students leave secondary schools without knowing how to do simple chores like cleaning,” he observed.
On new curriculum, the Professor said head teachers should play their role effectively without delegating their responsibilities to ensure the Competency-Based Curriculum is properly implemented.
He hailed the new curriculum saying it will help in identifying a child’s talent and strengths from early stages and assist in nurturing the same till the learner leaves school.
“For effective implementation of the new curriculum, head teachers should do their responsibilities without delegating to ensure the exercise is well executed,” noted Magoha.
President Uhuru Kenyatta recently nominated Magoha as CS to replace Amina Mohamed who was moved to Sports ministry. The Parliamentary Committee on Appointments has already vetted him for the post.