Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1592274,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592274/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 631,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Likoni, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mishi Mboko",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Speaker, learners with disabilities should not be denied admission and participation due to their disabilities. In some communities, persons with disabilities are denied access and admission to schools probably because the schools do not have units for special needs children and the infrastructure to cater for their needs. Clause 6 and 7 talk about shared responsibility between parents and the government. Whereas the government will ensure that there is proper infrastructure and supply of equipment and learning aids, like braille for the blind, parents should ensure that they take the responsibility of enrolling their children to schools so that they can access education. Moving forward, we should have regulations that will punish any parent who denies their child access to education because of disability so that all children with disabilities can access education. Clauses 9-14 strengthen the management and governance of special needs education institutions. In our schools we have board of managements. These boards take care of the management of schools. In future, it will be prudent for the boards of management to be composed of teachers, parents and experts in special needs of children with disability so that when they deliberate on anything it will be an informed deliberation. Clauses 35 and 36 establish robust quality assurance mechanisms and assign county governments the responsibility to monitor and maintain education standards. We have the quality assurance officials who go to schools to ensure that the quality of education given to children is of the standard required by the government. We need to ensure that at least there is somebody who is going to be doing monitoring and evaluation to ensure that children with disability are taken care of. A child with cerebral palsy is not just like any other normal child; it is a different child because of the condition they have. We also need to know how we will ensure that such children get a standard and quality education. It is unfortunate that, to date, we still have some educational institutions where you go and you fail to see the infrastructure done in favour of a person with disability. You do not see a ramp, or where children with disability can pass. Also, you go to a school where there is a playing field, but there is no special playing field for children with special needs. Education is very vast, and it involves a lot. If we want these children to realise their dreams in terms of education, we need to consider all factors necessary to address all the historical challenges affecting them and find a solution. Going forward, even when we budget, we also need to ensure we know what we are allocating for and where we need additional allocation. For now, I have seen that we have added money for social protection meant for transfer to persons with disability, orphans and other vulnerable groups. Going forward, as a country, we need to put priority on areas that will ensure that children with disability can access education without any kind of discrimination, isolation or denied admission to schools."
}