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{
    "id": 207351,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/207351/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 144,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ms. Mbarire",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Transport",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 78,
        "legal_name": "Cecily Mutitu Mbarire",
        "slug": "cecily-mbarire"
    },
    "content": "As such, it is important for the Government to look, critically, into how they can ensure that there is proper infrastructure at that level. The Government should also ensure that children can access education and live well in a healthy state and be able to learn. I, therefore, hope that this Motion will look into ways of ensuring that early childhood education is mainstreamed into the FPE Programme so that it can benefit by ensuring that there is money for the infrastructure. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also important that apart from the infrastructure, we should also take care of the special needs at that level. We know that young children cannot stay a whole day without taking something at break time. I remember when I was in nursery school, we used to take porridge at 10.00 a.m and milk in the afternoon. I hope that can also be taken on board under the FPE programme. I also hope that there can be a curriculum for training teachers for early childhood education. It should be streamlined between the teacher training colleges so that those teachers who want to specialise in early childhood education can be trained at that level in colleges that charge cheaper rates. Right now, early childhood education is only offered by private colleges. I believe that this is a very specialised education and that the teachers need to have the basic knowledge of health tips on childcare so that they can take care of children who may fall ill while in school. They should also learn child psychology in order to know how to handle these children. I hope that we can also look into ways of ensuring that these same teachers get proper pay and are pensionable at the time of their retirement. These would boost their morale to work better. Currently, it is the parents who pay these teachers. At times, these teachers go for many months without pay. They are also paid very poorly. I hope that this same Motion, when it becomes a Bill, will look into ways of meeting the special needs of children with disabilities. These children are disadvantaged and do not have the proper infrastructure for their learning activities. Usually, you will find that children with disabilities are denied proper access to early childhood education because of their special needs. I hope that, that too can be part of the curriculum and the policy that the Ministry of Education will 3348 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 22, 2007 develop. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, early childhood education is very important for working mothers. In this case, I am not just talking about mothers who are in white-collar jobs but also the self-employed mothers. You find that many times, mama mboga is unable to sell her wares properly because she has to take care of her children. But if she can get a proper baby class or play school that is cheap or is within the free primary education programme, then we will have many mothers being able to work and provide for their children. I, therefore, hope that this can be done within free primary education programme, so that not only the well-paid mothers take their children to baby class but even mothers who earn minimally and, therefore, do not have to pay. I hope that we realise that education is supposed to continue being an equalizer. It is only education that is able to move people from poverty. We must ensure that as we provide free primary education, we have proper facilities that enable children get what they require and get fair opportunities to get proper grades at all levels. This will ensure that children from poor backgrounds are able to move out of that poverty cycle through education as was the case in the past. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}