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{
    "id": 1229898,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1229898/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 131,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Emurua Dikirr, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Johana Kipyegon",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "in Maseno School and you know at that time it was the only national school. We felt proud and happy. Uniforms are supposed to identify our children so that even if you find a student at the bus stage stranded because of lack of bus fare, you will know that this is a student or pupil. You can then help them by paying for their transport home. Sometimes, some bad people would like to do bad things to students but, if they are not in uniform, they may fall victim. If they are in uniform, of course, the society will protect them. Lastly, I would like to weigh in on the issue of the payments that we normally do in schools. Remember, I have had a lot of running battles, especially with the Ministry of Education and, of course, the TSC. My major concern is the payments which we are making to those day secondary schools, and the introduction of junior secondary schools. We have seen that most of the principals are asking students to go to school with a lot of money. The reason for the free day secondary education is to make our children access education. There are so many parents who cannot pay for boarding schools or for the schools that are very far. That is the reason we introduced day secondary schools close to primary schools, so that those parents who cannot afford to pay fees can send their children to those schools. Unfortunately, many schools are now introducing so many other activities, which include purchasing uniforms. I am requesting Members to ensure that we introduce capitation so that we budget for uniform in the amount that is being sent to every school. We should also include school feeding programme because in my constituency, we are paying millions of shillings towards food, even for the students who come from around that school. Those are people who can go back home for lunch or those who can pack their lunch. Schools have introduced it as a compulsory payment so that when you do not pay for food, you are sent home for three weeks. Why would you send students home for three weeks because of failure to pay for food? I think the principals should introduce what we call meal-cards. Most importantly we should, as a House, introduce a payment for the school feeding programmes so that parents who cannot afford to pay fees can access that programme. This should be applied to uniforms and this idea of remedial classes. I recently requested principals of schools not to demand for fees for remedial classes or send a student home because of failure to pay for remedial classes. Remedial classes should be optional. If a student can pay, allow them to stay in school. If they are not able to pay, let them not come for the extra classes, but come for the classes that the Government has paid for. You cannot send a student home because of failure to pay for remedial classes."
}