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    "id": 391704,
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    "content": "universal curriculum for early childhood education so that all our children can be exposed to the same content at the same time. I also support the Committee’s recommendation that we should sustain the School Feeding programmes. I had occasion to represent a constituency that had informal settlements. At that stage, I can tell you that for some children, the only reason they wake up in the morning and go to school, is because they will have a plate of githeri at lunch time. For them, they create this mental picture of school in relation to filling their stomachs. We had an experience when donors withdrew their support for this School Feeding Programme, the school attendance dropped sharply by 50 per cent. So, in some places, it is so crucial. Just as crucial as whatever else they are going to learn. It should be the responsibility of the county governments to ensure when and if there is need, this is sustained at all times. It should not just be sustained, for the sake of it. As much as possible, they should ensure that what these children are being fed on is a balanced diet which has been prepared in a hygienic manner. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also support the need for infrastructure development in schools. It really goes without saying that this is one of the key components of education. You cannot compare the performance of a child who learns under a tree in cold weather when it is raining or in the hot sun, with somebody who learns in the comfort of a classroom. So, infrastructure development should be prioritized even as the national Government works closely with the county governments to give other support items like what the Jubilee Coalition Government offered in the past. I am on record as having stated that it was not a very good idea only to the extent that it was coming at a time when infrastructure had not been developed to a uniform level that would sustain the use of ICT and computers. By and large, it is important. The global village is becoming a computerized nation. Any child who is not introduced to this technology at an early age will be left behind in many aspects. I support that, but with infrastructure development. It is really pathetic when you go to certain schools and you are talking to the principal or the administrator who cannot even express himself properly, let alone you interrogating them on issues concerning that institution or even the content of the curriculum or other aspects of education. It is critical. It must become mandatory that early childhood education is like feeding yourself. If you are careful, you cannot just allow anybody to feed you anything at any time. So, we cannot sit pretty and think that we are having a good education system if we allow just about anybody who has a piece of land or who has a building to collect our children and then purport to be educating them even when the content is questionable. That brings us to the crucial issue of the education levels, training and qualifications of the people who are in charge of such institutions. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when I was growing up, there was something called in- service training where teachers who wanted to further their education or upgrade their skills were given free training by the Government. I am not really sure that this has been sustained. If not so, then it should be reintroduced so that during holidays, teachers who would want to upgrade their skills would be given that opportunity. Having said that, I take issue with the fact that the Committee has not made recommendations to ensure the list of teachers in any institution should be balanced The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}