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"id": 1214098,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1214098/?format=api",
"text_counter": 143,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kericho County, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Kemei",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I appreciate the Mover of this Motion, the Hon. Member who is my sister. I also want to say that this is a Motion that is affecting us, as Members of Parliament. It is affecting parents, teachers and everybody. I am saying this because uniforms are very important. First, I am reminded of the days we were in school. Anybody who did not come with uniform was not part of the school. For identification, uniform is key. It is important that when we talk of standardising, it is in the sense that it will bring equality. It is an equaliser. We have schools in rural and urban areas. We have day and boarding schools. We have public and private schools. When we standardise, it brings equality. It is not tied to performance. When you look at national schools, they ideally and naturally perform better because of entry behaviour. They perform better than sub-county or extra-county schools. Whenever they go for drama or any other extra curriculum activity, extra-county and sub-county schools feel inferior. So, those uniforms will bring equality. In any case, when uniform is standardised, it will also affect pricing. What does this mean? When uniform is not standardised, you will realise that prices are different. Schools give different prices depending on the quality, colour and where the uniform is bought. If it is standardised and students allowed to buy from anywhere, it will assist and help parents who are unable to pay. The National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) and the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) give bursaries. These enable students to learn in schools. However, there is no money for uniform. If it is standardised, it means parents will afford, at least, for the students to be in school. More so, I have said it is important in the sense that schools will not be purchasing from one point. I imagine a student coming all the way from Kericho, where I come from, to purchase uniform in Nairobi. That is very expensive. Some do not even know where the shops are. If it is standardised, they can buy from anywhere. Uniforms demonstrate equality. This will go hand in hand with students feeling that they can perform the same way wherever they are. During our days, the only colours we knew were a grey skirt and a sky-blue shirt or blouse for the girls. Only the sweaters were different. They were green and may be brown or red. It was the same for boys. For that, there was a kind of equality. However, you will see different colours and designs now. With standardisation, girls will not wear very tight skirts that influence negatively in one way or another. The boys, on the other hand, have also tried to make their trousers tubed or very tight. This brings some negativity. When it is standardised, at least, they will have the right sizes, lengths and colours. I am supporting this Motion. As we do this, we will also have to remember that some students may not even afford those uniforms and they may not go to school. If the prices go down, I am sure education will be an equaliser. With that, I support. May that policy come very fast. The students and parents will be on the safe side. At some point, we will also have to look at the full-dress code. Some schools have girls in long hair, others have very short hair, and others no hair at all. I do not know what we can do so that others do not feel intimidated and inferior. If I may also add, uniform is important. As we look at uniform, let us also remember the design and even the weather. Some places are very cold. If they are cold, students will have jumpers and their warm uniforms. Some places like the northern part of the country may not need this. As we standardise, let us also look into that. With that, I support the Motion and say that unity is key for students to concentrate on their studies. It will also teach them some professionalism. They will look very smart and know from an early age that this is how to go about it. It will also ensure safety of students wherever 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."
}