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{
    "id": 1233746,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1233746/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 235,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Butere, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Tindi Mwale",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "schools you are letting the children come to the community. Some of the students come from very far. You might find us transmitting the disease all over the country. I want to point out some few issues which the Ministry of Health, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, the Government and the community, should put into consideration. There is the issue of food that students eat in schools. It is very tricky and hard to ascertain food safety in schools. When I talk about food safety, I mean the source of the food, how it is stored and transported to the school, and how it is kept, cooked, and served to students. Many schools do not take into consideration measures to ascertain that the food being brought to schools is safe for consumption. That is why we end up with contaminated food which ends up in our children’s stomachs. This eventually causes health problems. The second issue is about the way the structures are built in our schools. You might find sewerage systems mixed with clean water lines. That may result in diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Health services are devolved. The Ministry of Education, in conjunction with county governments, are supposed to put in place measures to make sure that the health of students in institutions is taken care of. If possible, there should be smaller clinics in schools or institutions so that county governments are able to monitor health issues in schools. So far, it is reported that five schools have been closed because of this problem. I want to single out Mukumu Girls High School, where a teacher had to lose her life because of negligence of the school management, Ministry of Health, or students themselves. Our schools are overpopulated. We should control and manage the population in schools, their structures, land size and the facilities used by students. Some schools are too small to take care of students. Many of my colleagues face these problems, including my brother, Hon. Fred Ikana, in whose constituency Mukumu Girls High School is situated. In Butere Constituency, where I come from, Butere Boys High School was the second one to be closed because of the outbreak of cholera. I ask my colleagues to join this debate on a matter with great importance, outline issues and propose ways in which the Government can protect our children in schools, not excluding teachers and subordinate staff. As I finish, I condole with the families of the students and the teacher who lost their lives. I encourage them. I thank you for the opportunity that you have given me and for allowing this Adjournment Motion to be heard. With those few remarks, I support the Motion."
}