Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 400920,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/400920/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 220,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 447,
        "legal_name": "John Krop Lonyangapuo",
        "slug": "john-lonyangapuo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. Madam Temporary Speaker, as my colleague who has spoken before me said, I am also one of the Members of the Standing Committee on Education, Information and Technology. We had the privilege of visiting four counties in Western Kenya. Our inaugural visit was in the central part of Kenya. We were able to identify salient issues. Under Schedule Four of the Constitution, the nursery schools and polytechnics have been fully devolved to the county governments, except maybe the curriculum and standardization of recruitment of teachers, where the national Government, through the TSC has a say in the recruitment of teachers. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is a pity that when we visited some of the nursery schools, we found out that we have not paid much attention, as a national Government or country governments, to the basic foundation of our children. The only good news that we have had over the last 10 years, was the introduction of academies in Kenya where we pay good money. Therefore, a few parents in Kenya manage to take their children to schools. But we have not paid attention to the entry point of our children to nursery schools. How do they reach school and what do they learn? The one that we saw in Nyamira was a bit pathetic. In a majority of the nursery schools in the country, children sit on stones or improvised desks. They are exposed to a lot of dust. As a result of this, they become sick every now and then. The other problem is that anybody can walk into those classes to teach those children. In the villages they just say: “Whoever reached Class Four or graduated from Class Eight should come and teach.” Those who failed in Form Four can also be asked to teach. After these children have been taught by every Tom, Dick and Harry, we wait for them to join Class One. We all know that the beginning or foundation is very important. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Senate needs to pronounce itself and ask for serious direction. We need to put more resources and efforts at the entry point of any human being going to school, than even the university. This is because if we begin right from the foundation stone, we will not go wrong. Many countries have developed because of the way they introduce education to their children in nursery schools. The children are given all the tools that they require to play with and the environment is very conducive. In the top private nursery schools – they call them kindergarten – a child is even more secure and peaceful than at home. This is the type of policy that we need to anchor as we go to devolution. Even as we devolve this function directly to the governors, who have the governors appointed as the CECs in charge of education? Do they know what they are doing? Who has been identified by the county assemblies in the whole country to be responsible for education matters, particularly in the nursery schools and polytechnics? Sometimes we just put our friends and say: “Let so-and-so sit there,” rather than looking at the quality of the people who are going to work there. 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"
}