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{
    "id": 1057618,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1057618/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 407,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mukurweini, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Anthony Kiai",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13439,
        "legal_name": "Anthony Githiaka Kiai",
        "slug": "anthony-githiaka-kiai"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. As I was saying, the first port of call for any child in this country is the ECD centre. Whatever is written on that clean slate, be it matters of life, education or anything related thereto, is the responsibility of the teachers at that level. If proper foundation is given at this critical stage, then it will last a lifetime. I see a lot of good things in the Bill. For instance, the Bill tries to streamline registration of all institutions that offer ECD education. Two, it also provides for the minimum infrastructure and acreage for all institutions. What has been there before is that you would find ECD centres in slum areas, others on top of bars and others in some funny places and the darkest corners of this country. I am happy that the Bill provides for minimum infrastructure. It also provides that children should not be given any entry exam which has been the case before. Any child who registers in any centre is not supposed to be charged any fee. It, then, makes education accessible even to those who are downtrodden in the society. Poor foundation at the ECD is always felt at the primary level. When you have a bad product at the ECD level, then that poor production continues at the primary level and maybe, even at the secondary level all the way to adulthood. So, it is important and very critical that we have proper structures to lay a good foundation to ensure that children grow up to be responsible citizens who are well educated. The Bill also talks about harmonisation of curriculum. The fact that this level of education is devolved means that every county may end up having its own curriculum. This is where KICD comes in to standardise and harmonise the curriculum to ensure that whatever is taught in Nyeri County is what applies to Kisumu County, Mombasa County and also Taita Taveta County. The quality of teachers at that level is wanting. Many times, anyone who could just read and write could be employed as a teacher at that level. There are now standards that talk of who qualifies to be an ECD teacher. It talks of what kind of training she or he ought to have undergone. It talks of the structures and standards of classrooms that are needed for children to be trained. Clause 39 of the proposed Bill talks of free admission. This will, therefore, remove the burden that had been placed on parents whenever you want to take their children to ECD centres. Clause 45 talks of KICD harmonising the curriculum and most importantly, as it has been pointed out by my colleague earlier, it talks of identification of special needs in our children. This, therefore, ensures that those children, when they qualify or graduate from ECD to primary school, are placed in a school that caters for their special needs and are not intergrated with other children who may delay their acquisition of education. It is a good piece of legislation. I support. 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."
}