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{
    "id": 401484,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/401484/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 199,
    "type": "other",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "cannot tell a three-year-old that one day they are going to be the Chief Executive Officer of something, when he is dying of hunger. But when you give them a plate of githeri, then whatever you are talking about that they might be able to get 20 years to come makes sense. Therefore, the school feeding programme must be sustained at this early childhood level. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, but that notwithstanding, infrastructure development is very critical. If you go to most schools, you will find that the most dilapidated classroom in that institution is what is delegated to these very young children. Does it make sense really? It does not make sense because at this stage, these kids are more sensitive to hygiene and need more protection. So, it cannot be that in every school and institution, the most dilapidated classroom is what is left to those who are at pre-primary level. We must insist that in the same way we build capacities for primary school level, in that same way, we must construct adequate classrooms with sanitation and enough facilities for these children. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it must become a policy that not anybody is able to just teach these children. At that age, anything that you infuse or teach these children stays. In the case of urban areas, for example, if you have an extra room and can read and write Kiswahili, you will collect all the neighbours’ kids, start an institution and teach them anything. We are exposing our children to just about anything in the name of having nursery school education. That is really wrong. I have visited a county, which I am not going to mention, where the most qualified teachers – the best of the best – are taken to teach young children in pre-primary, kindergarten and all that. This is because they know that at that level, you are forming the brains of these children. If you want patriotic citizens in 20 years to come, then you should have people who will instill in these children the idea of patriotism. If you want them to speak good English, take the best English teachers not to Class Eight, but at this level. If you want them to become mathematicians, engineers and all that, take those who have really excelled and not somebody who got Ds in every level. Do not take somebody with Ds to teach your three or four year olds, thinking that they are going to teach anything tangible. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to support."
}