Nominated MP wants Quota system reintroduced

YOUTH CAMP

DECEMBER 30, 2009

BY EUGENE OMILO

Muslim leaders have called on the government to reintroduce the quota system in selecting students joining secondary schools.

The leaders said the current cut off points system has eluded many poor students in public schools especially in Coast and North Eastern provinces.

The leaders were speaking at the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Educational Institute in Mombasa while addressing youths attending a training camp organized by the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK).

The three day camp which will be closed today brought together over 100 school leavers from Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale districts who benefited from various training programmes to help them live morally upright lives and stay free from abusing drugs.

Nominated MP Sheikh Mohammed Dor said the current trend only favors children from rich families who learn in expensive private schools which perform better than most public schools.

“The government will not meet its promise to bring down poverty levels in the country if the poor will continue being denied fair chances to education,” said Sheikh Dor.

He argued that limiting form one admissions to those with higher marks only will result to cutting off poor pupils from joining universities and ultimately securing better jobs.

“What the Free Primary Education programme has done is to increase the number of pupils in schools, we want the quality also to improve and benefit all,” said Sheikh Dor.

CIPK chairman Sheikh Hassan Suleiman said many youths get involved in using drugs during holidays and asked those who participated in the camp to create awareness to their peers to live responsibly.

He said the youth will be trained on how access government funds and programmes like the Youth enterprise fund and Kazi Kwa Vijana.

Organizing Secretary Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa said the council agrees with president Kibaki’s call to leaders to take responsibility over the increasing cases of drug abuse among the youth.

He said MPs, councilors and provincial administrators should be held accountable if the areas they represent are among those with many cases of drug abuse.

He blamed politicians for turning a blind eye to the menace saying some have gone to the extent of shielding those arrested in connection with drugs from justice.

“Let us emulate China by imposing stiffer penalties and punishments to offenders.

We should treat all offenders equally irrespective of their status or nationality,” said Sheikh Khalifa.

ENDS.