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"id": 215642,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/215642/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Prof. Olweny",
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"speaker": {
"id": 122,
"legal_name": "Patrick Ayiecho Olweny",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the colonial Government came up with institutions and homes to rehabilitate the soldiers who had been injured in the war and, therefore, had some form of disabilities. So, institutions were established in this country for people who had visual and hearing impairment, mental and physical handicaps and other forms of impairments. A number of schools have been established in this country to take care of these people. People with disabilities are segregated in particular schools, for example, the Thika School for the Blind, which was established in 1957, and the Lucy School for the Blind, which was established in 1958. There are other schools for other impairments like the Dagoretti Children's Centre, which was established in 1961. We have Joy Town Special School. We also have schools for hearing impairment like the Agha Khan School for the Deaf and many others. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government has also come up with the idea of integrated schools where we have special units in the regular schools to take care of people with disabilities. The Government has also come up with the idea of inclusive education, where those children who do not have very serious impairments learn in the regular schools with the other children. We have a number of these institutions in this country, but the unfortunate thing is that most of the specials schools were established by churches and a few Non-Governmental Organisations. The Salvation Army, the Lutheran and the Catholic Churches have done a lot of good to this country by establishing some of these institutions. For example, NGOs like the Red Cross and the lottery clubs have also helped in establishing special schools in this country. As I have said, there is some Government support. The Government is simply a collaborator in most of the special schools which have been established by other organisations. The Government chips in, in various ways and allocates a little money here and there to support some of those institutions. However, apart from the Kenya Institution of Special Education (KISE), I do not think the Government has come out of its way to establish special schools in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, today, the number of schools that cater for people with disabilities in this country are very few. For example, we have only 40 primary schools that cater for children with hearing impairment. We have only 47 primary schools for mental disabilities, nine for children with physical disabilities, seven for children with visual disabilities and two for children with cerebral palsy. We have only one primary school for the deaf and blind children. That is not enough, taking into consideration the fact that we have so many children with disabilities. 2236 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 4, 2007 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have very few secondary schools for people with disabilities. For example, we have only three secondary schools for students with hearing impairments across the country. We have only three secondary schools for students with physical disabilities and one for students with visual disabilities. The Government knows very well that we have thousands of people living with disabilities in this country. We have only one special technical school for people with visual and hearing impairments. All the same, the Government has helped in having special units attached to the regular primary schools across the country. We have 140 special units for children with hearing impairments which are attached to the regular primary schools. We have 85 special units for children with visual impairment, five special units for the deaf and blind, 1,107 special units for children with mental and physical impairment, which are attached to the regular primary schools across the country. That means that we do not have enough institutions to take care of these people. I have said that we have 1.8 million people living with disabilities who are below the age of 19 years. These people should be in school, but they cannot go to school because we do not have enough facilities, funds or schools for them. Out of these 1.8 million children with disabilities who are below the age of 19 years, only 27,701 are attending schools. Among those 26,000, 14,928 are boys while 11,753 are girls. One hundred and forty-seven thousand, six hundred and thirty one children have been assessed by the Government and it has been confirmed that those ones need special education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in addition to that we have several Kenyan orphans who could also benefit from special needs education. If you look at the number of secondary schools I have talked about here, you will note that there are only three for the hearing impairment; three for physical disability and one for visual disability. They do not match the primary schools that are already established for various forms of impairment. We have no secondary schools for those suffering from mental disability, or for children suffering from cerebral palsy. These seven secondary schools are not adequately taking care of Kenyans that have various forms of impairment. Several problems are barring Kenyans with various forms of impairment from going to school, one of them being that the schools are too few. These schools are also too far away from them and therefore, their parents have to part with a lot of money to transport them to school, if at all they manage to get any admission in those few schools that are available. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is generally very expensive to take such people to school. It is a very expensive affair. We know that many Kenyans are poor and if you are unfortunate to have a child living with disability, it is expensive to keep the child around in the house. Furthermore, it is now terribly expensive to educate them. So, the Government needs to address this problem. The Government should bring more of these schools closer to such people. That means that we solve the distance problem and that of having few schools when the Government establishes at least one special education school per district. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we know that the Government has come up with the idea of inclusive education which is very good, but it does not take care of all these people. You can see the number that are not educated. The issue of poverty which prevents parents from taking these children to school could be handled if the Government gives more support. Today, the Government is supporting special schools, but let me inform you how much money it is giving. For every child living with disability that is in school, the Government is giving only Kshs2,000 to support that child. The Government is giving Kshs1,020 to support a normal child in a regular school. That is a difference of Kshs780. These children with disabilities have special problems and are fairly expensive to educate. The average cost of educating such a child is about Kshs17,000 for a day primary school. They have to pay Kshs6,000 for learning devices per year while assistive July 4, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2237 devices cost Kshs2,000 per year. Sports and recreational therapy costs Kshs2,000 per year. Mandatory medication costs Kshs2,000 per year. Support services cost Kshs4,000 per year while environmental adaptation costs Kshs1,000 per year. That amounts to Kshs17,000 per year. That is fairly expensive for a primary school. But if, as they always do, they have to board in schools, then the parents must raise another Kshs15,000. So, the total comes to Kshs32,000 to take one child living with disability to a primary school. That means that these people might not afford to go to school. The schools are too few, the cost of education is high and they are also discriminated against by culture! Whichever way you handle the situation, if you take them to the regular schools, their fellow pupils look down upon them because they are disabled. The parents still have to cough out a lot of money for school capital development because the schools need special buildings, special security, special books and so on. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that the Government has been giving some of the special schools some money, but I feel that is not enough. On average, the Government gives special schools about Kshs153,000 per year. However, if you look at the costs involved, that money is not enough. The Government also gives regular schools, which take care of children with special needs, about Kshs10,000 a year, but still that is not enough. That is why so many of the disabled children, in millions, are out of school. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am calling upon the Government to look at the problem and come up with schools, at least, one primary school and one secondary school in every district to take care of these children. I thank the Government for taking up the cost of paying the teachers who are in some of those schools, but still that is not enough. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to move and call upon hon. Ojaamong to second."
}