Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1057505,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1057505/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 294,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Bomachoge Borabu, Independent",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Prof.) Zadoc Ogutu",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13302,
        "legal_name": "Zadoc Abel Ogutu",
        "slug": "zadoc-abel-ogutu-2"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to contribute and support this Mediated Bill. It is a version of what we as Members of the Departmental Committee on Education and Research Committee had put our input. Now, it has been harmonised with what was intended to be the case by the Senate. If there is a sector in education that has suffered for many years, it is the Early Childhood Education. It has always been taken as being informal and existing without structures. I am very happy that this time we can proudly say that the Kenyan nation has chartered a path to see this sector of education integrated into the mainstream education and also supported as much as it were. This Bill looks at the county governments as the main leadership entity to its implementation. I would like to make two comments. Even as we existed without this Bill, the county governments have been doing a lot of work to support early childhood, but in a very haphazard way in terms of poor funding, poor infrastructure and failing to pay teachers. As we move forward to see this Bill finally become a policy, it is important for the county governments, through the County Education Board, to ensure that, at least, the responsibilities that have been given to the county governments through the boards are well executed. It is very unfortunate that a number of people who have been working as volunteers or employed by the schools where the centers for early childhood are located, have gone for many years without being paid. Some have even died and yet, the terms have been very poor. So, I am sure that once this Bill is implemented, we will have professionals working with our little children. There is a section which looks at the management of those centers. I can see the Public Health and the County Executive Board is well represented. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to appeal that, as we move to implement this Bill, we should ensure that proper funding and supervision is done through the Ministry of Education to ensure that Early Childhood Education (ECD) becomes stronger and better foundation for our children and for the future generations to come. Children with disability have not been captured clearly in the previous implementation of the ECD. Those are the people who need a lot of attention. I imagine a situation where every county will have a facility that takes care of children with disability at the sub-county level. That facility should go beyond tuition and provide health facilities and nutritional experts to make sure that we develop children who are strong and fit to move forward. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}