Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 224314,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/224314/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 229,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Lesrima",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 178,
        "legal_name": "Simon Saimanga Lesirma",
        "slug": "simon-lesirma"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, while we accept that there are more boys than girls in primary schools, secondary schools and university, it is also important to recognise the fact that in some districts the problem in the future may be the boy child. These regional disparities are even more dramatic in pastoral areas particularly because of cultural issues, the economy and the livestock economy. Children in these areas must look after cattle. They are socialised early in life to participate in the only economic activity in those areas. Schools do not have the necessary facilities particularly boarding schools. They do not have food and what is there is of poor quality. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if we are to solve this problem, then we must address the issues that affect the attendance of girls and boys in schools particularly in those sparsely populated areas. These issues are, having adequate boarding schools close to centres where people live and providing teachers with housing. In some of these areas teachers and children walk up to between ten to 20 kilometres every day to go to school. Sometimes these schools do not have enough teachers. Most girls' schools have male teachers. This is one issue that should be addressed. We may also need to discuss the issue of the shift system of education. Why do children have to go to school between 8.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. in certain areas? It would be nice to have a time table that accommodates the economic activities of the people who live in pastoralist areas. I know that in Kiambu which is in Central Province, school-going children go to pick coffee and tea and in Meru they pick Miraa. At one point it was suggested that the timetable for going to school should change to be in harmony with the economic activities prevailing in those areas. That is just one of the solutions to increasing the number of children going to school. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another issue affecting girls which is not often spoken about is the unique biological problems that they experience which are often ignored. Nature requires that girls be absent from school sometimes for one week because of those changes they go through yet this is not taken into account when preparing time tables, in terms of increasing the opportunities for them to catch up. They end up losing a lot due to those biological problems. Materials and facilities are not provided to combat those issues. There is also the question of mixed schools. It is understood that girls in separate schools perform better than those in mixed schools. This is because girls in mixed schools tend to compete with the boys for laboratory space. Girls tend to concentrate on their studies more if they are in separate schools. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will move very quickly to solutions to these problems. Although we have passed the Children's Act and encouraged parents to send their children to school, and in particular in pastoralist areas because that is where I come from, we must April 25, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 903 give adequate incentives to stop early marriages and motivate those children to proceed to the next level after completing primary education. Unless there are adequate incentives in terms of scholarships and free secondary education for the girls from those disadvantaged areas, including slums, we will not go very far. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there has been an attempt to implement the Children's Act with regard to early marriages. I know, in my constituency, there is a rescue centre for girls who are rescued from forced marriages. I think the establishment and support of many of those centres can boost the girl-child education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, role modelling is also very critical in our society. I think we need to appoint women as chairpersons to various boarding schools. A number of girls' boarding schools sometimes are chaired by polygamous men. I think this does not set a very good example for role modelling. We should also allow girls who get babies while in school to continue with education not necessarily in similar schools but in other schools. They should get that opportunity. In terms of role modelling, I think the Government also needs to appoint women to senior positions. I do not see any difficulty in the current Government ensuring that 30 per cent of the Permanent Secretaries are women. It is possible to do that. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, in a number of schools in those remote places of Kenya, it is mostly men who teach in secondary schools. I think it is important that the Government increases the recruitment of female teachers in those schools. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}