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"id": 239759,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/239759/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Mwiria",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Education",
"speaker": {
"id": 190,
"legal_name": "Valerian Kilemi Mwiria",
"slug": "kilemi-mwiria"
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"content": " These are my estimates based on the overall 1.2 million pupils, and the percentage of how many are in primary schools. It is possible to estimate how many are in secondary schools. The number cannot be more than 250,000. The numbers are not as scaring as we think. To support that, we must come up with resources. Resources will be voted in but I am saying that, apart from what we get from the Government, we must make savings from what is already available to contribute to that kitty. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my interest in insisting that we must support this Motion is: It is not enough for us to talk about education, if it does not promote equity. As you know, from the days we went to school, were it not for education, we would not have made it to Parliament. Some of us would not have made it to be Ministers in the Government. Many people who have made it, especially from very poor backgrounds, is as a result of education. I want to say that, if the current trend continues, where the disadvantaged cannot access quality education, it is very dangerous. We are heading towards a situation where we are closing all the doors to those who have no other way of making it in life, except through education. It is not just for the sake of those children that we need to have programmes like the one which is being proposed. It is even for the sake of our own children. If it is only our children who can have access to good quality education, you will get a situation whereby only one out of ten children has good education in a location or division. Is that child going to survive in such a hostile environment? Sometimes, we forget because we have buglar-proof houses. But a time will come when we are going to be over-powered by those who are looking for us. It is, therefore, in the interest of our own children to have an education system that addresses the very poor of the poor. We have to live with them and, more importantly, this country cannot afford to ignore the poor, who comprise 60 per cent of our population. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we should create opportunities for orphans, both in education and in other areas, that will make them feel that they are participants in an environment that does not continue to discriminate against them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, therefore, I would like to propose that we have free 2548 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 2, 2006 secondary education for orphans and eventually, depending on how well we do in terms of generating more resources from the Government, we target to have free secondary education for all, maybe in the next five or so years. For the time being, I support the idea that we should put aside an allocation to support the about 250,000 orphan children who are in our secondary schools."
}