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{
    "id": 1050371,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1050371/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 263,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Kamar",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 33,
        "legal_name": "Margaret Jepkoech Kamar",
        "slug": "margaret-kamar"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I thank Sen. Omogeni for donating a few minutes to me. I really wanted to speak on this Bill that was extremely important to us, as a Committee. This Bill was very dear to the Committee, basically because early childhood education had been misplaced for a very long time. As we discussed as a Committee, we discovered that the child that should have been the favorite in the education system was being put to the sideline. Infrastructure was not meant for them, but for the older children. Even where they schooled with the older children, break time was exactly the same time and pushing for washrooms was a very serious matter to the children. As we developed this Bill in that Committee, we were looking at the wholesome development of the child. At some point, we wanted something called Early Childhood Education and Development Bill. The Mediation Committee has rightly put it as education. I say rightfully because I want to mention something that made me realize that everything is about a child education. This Bill has addressed the child wholesomely, from what they should be educated on, who should be educating them and how they should be handled. At that age, it is very important that the child knows that they are loved. Previously, we were dumping our children in the poorest infrastructure in schools. They were given buildings that were least cleaned and developed because we had not appreciated their importance of developing the child at that stage. Madam Temporary Speaker, I was privileged to serve with Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri as Ministers for Education; we served at the same time. In one of the conferences of Ministers for Education, a technical expert from Japan who addressed us made it very clear that if you want to develop the brain of a human being, you must start at four years. They say between four and seven years it is done. Therefore, if there are things that you want the child to learn, they must learn that early. It really surprised me, but then as the Mediation Committee has come up with removing the development and giving everything to education, I am now realising the importance of that. It is at that stage that we make the child to be what they will be. It is at that stage that a child goes home and tells the mother: “You are wrong, my teacher said this.” It is at that stage that they actually believe everything the teacher tells them. This is a very important stage for the development of the child, and it is important for us that we train them well. Notwithstanding the fact that at this stage in Kenya we are still talking of national values and national norms, those national values and national norms should be taught at the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE). The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}