The Regional Affairs and Conflicts Resolution Committee of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) yesterday held a public hearing event on the proposed EAC (Education) Bill, 2014 in Dar es Salaam to solicit inputs from stakeholders.
The Bill seeks to establish a Unit within the office of the EAC Secretary General, mandated to coordinate integration education activities in the Partner State, develop relevant educational materials and set standards and quality control measures amongst functions.
The proposed Unit is expected to be charged with coordinating integration education activities in the EAC Community, develop relevant educational materials for dissemination in the Community and develop curricular for integration education by the educational institutions in the Partner States.
During the meeting, stakeholders raised concerns over lack of background paper to highlight the mischief to which the Bill intents to hear.Stakeholders said there was no background information on how the new proposed Unit will work with the current EAC Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department, which has similar functions.
Other concerns were whether the proposed Unit needed an Act whereas other Departments within the EAC Secretariat were not formed by any independent Acts.
The meeting was led by the leader of the Committee Delegation Hon. Issa Twaha Taslima accompanied by other members Hon. Makongoro Charles Makongoro and Hon. Abubakar Zein Abubakar.
According to the Committee Clerk Mr. Charles Kadonya, the Committee would meet on 27 March 2014 to consider inputs from stakeholders from Partner States.
Mr. Kadonya noted that the Bill is expected to be tabled for a Second and Third Reading on 2nd and 3rd April 2014 respectively during the EALA Plenary, which starts in Arusha on 24 March 2014.
-ENDS-
For more information on please contact:
Faraja Mgwabati
Communications Expert
Ministry of East African Cooperation (MEAC)
P. O. Box 9280, Dar es Salaam, TANZANIA
skype: faraja101
+255 754 271 750
OR
Owora Richard Othieno,
Head of Department;
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs;
Tel: +255 784 835021;
Email: oothieno@eachq.org
