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{
    "id": 1560706,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1560706/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 657,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tinderet, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Julius Melly",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Primary Education in 2003, over 1 million children with disabilities remain out of school. This is something we should know as a House. This Bill seeks to promote learners with disabilities so that individuals with these children can take them to school, whether in institutions for disabled persons or integrated schools. We need to promote this by motivating special education teachers by paying them more to assist these young people. Over the years, the Government has undertaken a number of reforms through the Ngala Mwendwa, Gachathi, Koech, Kamunge, and Munavu Reports. The Government has been trying to ensure that learners with disabilities are assisted through proper legal procedures. On this basis, a number of institutions were established. Institutions like the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) and the Kenya Institute of the Blind (KIB) were all established to assist learners with disabilities and help individuals endowed differently in terms of sight, hearing impairment and mental disorders. These were to come up with institutions like the Thika School for the Blind and all other special institutions across the country. I want to run through the Bill. Clauses 1 to 4 define the objects, definitions, and guiding principles. The Bill then goes on to define the various aspects of disabilities. It is important for this House to note that we proposed certain amendments to entrench, ingrain, and make the kind of disabilities we are talking about more understandable. Clauses 5 to 8 elaborate on the rights and responsibilities of learners, parents and governments. Many Government institutions end up discouraging learners with disabilities simply because of their language and choice of words. I want to make it very clear that no parent chooses children. They are got by birth. Most of them are stigmatised. Through this Bill, we need to come out and encourage most of our parents and institutions. Disability is not inability. It does not disadvantage them too much. For example, we should integrate those with physical and other disabilities and look at them as other children. Clauses 4 to 19 give the registration, admission, and management of institutions. That is why I also said the Bill looks at institutions. How do you admit these children? How do you register institutions for learners with disability? More importantly, how do you manage some of these institutions? The Committee looked into all those issues and proposed a number of amendments to strengthen the issues raised. The Committee made several observations and captured stakeholder input. For example, the Committee supported the inclusion of teacher aides and a clearer definition of “inclusive education”. We have learners with serious disability issues in most schools today. Mental issues and problems with movement are examples. We cannot rely on one teacher only. We need specialised teachers or teacher aides with a medical understanding of the situations of the children. We will have the mainstream teacher teaching the lesson with the help of an aide who is almost a caregiver, giving support services. In most institutions, you will discover that the teacher aide will encourage the learner to like schooling even more and be in that place. Therefore, the aide will be of assistance to the disabled learner. The Committee also realised we need to recommend the deletion of Clause 30. It contravenes Article 50, which is on fair hearing. We have talked about a fair hearing. At times, a student with a hearing impairment or some challenges is given marks of the same level as a normal child. I am talking about all those visual and hearing challenges. On another note, we have increased penalties and imprisonment to up to three years or both for individuals who might take advantage of disabled people. As the Departmental Committee on Education, an individual who takes advantage of a disabled child, molests, or mistreats them does more disservice than they would to a normal child. Clause 28 of the Bill provides that every special needs education institution shall ensure that its non-teaching professional staff and any person providing special needs services within its premises are properly qualified in their special areas. After thorough deliberation and public 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."
}