§ 58. Mr. Brockwayasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the educational programme in Kenya in 1962, including the provision of primary, secondary and 32W technical schools, scholarships for universities and racial integration in the schools, and the terms of reference of the 17-man committee which is re-examining education in the colony.
§ Mr. H. FraserThe Kenya Government announced on the 6th December the decision to set up a committee to examine the whole educational system in Kenya. The terms of reference of the Committee will be as follows:
- (a) to examine and report on the organisation and financing of existing educational provision for all races in Kenya including the operation of the present systems of grant-in-aid, the Compulsory Education Ordinance, the rates of school fees charged, the languages taught, and the participation of Local Government Authorities:
- (b) to consider how within the financial capacity of Kenya the present system may be developed on a non-racial basis and to make recommendations regarding the nature and timing of the steps to be taken to bring this about;
- (c) to provide a plan with details of organisation, administration and finance, for the development of education services which will be within the financial capacity of the country, covering the next five years, bearing in mind the possibility of the Lawrence Report being adopted.
Pending the advice of the committee, the 1962 programme is designed to progress as rapidly as funds permit to universal primary education for children of all races, while maintaining the intake to secondary schools at not less than 10 per cent. of primary school leavers. There are at present 6,207 primary (including African intermediate) schools, 78 secondary schools and five trade schools and one polytechnic open, and in spite of financial difficulties, many new schools and extensions to existing schools are under construction. Every Kenya student who achieves University entrance is assured of a place at a University College with adequate financial assistance. Racial integration in the secondary schools is making progress: for example, the Board of Governors administering former Government European Secondary schools have all agreed 33W to the admission of non-European pupils and five schools in the Nairobi area have already admitted such pupils. The schools Committee of Government European primary schools are considering similar action.