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{
    "id": 442714,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/442714/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 208,
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    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of FGM is very prevalent in the pastoralist areas. It poses a big challenge. Therefore, if we had boarding schools where these girls and even boys would go, maybe they will come out and do away with some of those cultures and move on. They would embrace new technology that is available today and move on like any other child. We are talking about children who trek for more than 20 kilometres to get to school. They would like to go to school, but because of the harsh environment, they are not able to go to school. Since they have that inherent wish, they even join Standard One when they are 10 years old. This is key for the first and second MDGs which are to ensure that we kick out hunger and ensure free primary education for every child. Today you will find that we have parents and grandparents who would wish to go to school. Education is the most important thing you can give your child. This is does not only affect the pastoralist areas; we need to look at it broadly and take it to Tana River, Kwale and Kilifi counties where we have serious challenge. We also have other constituencies such as Ganze that are vast and very dry. The Government should provide funding to each constituency to ensure that they have polytechnics because we need a turnover from those polytechnics we are building per constituency. We, therefore, need to put up facilities that will enable the young people to join those polytechnics. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we, as the Senate, should now focus seriously on education within the counties. We should think of children, for example, in Mbita who learn under trees or sit on stones. The same children are expected to sit for similar exams with those children who learn in classrooms and have all the books. I know that a few of us have really pushed for the admission to university of students from disadvantaged areas who score a mean grade of C Minus. This is because you cannot compare that child with a student who had the necessary books, a teacher everyday and laboratory facilities. In some areas in this country, some children even study on their own without teachers. When we talk about classrooms, we should also look at the whole infrastructure that will enable that child in the ASAL areas to enjoy what a child in Nairobi is enjoying. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the other challenge is that some parents would wish to see their children go to school, but they are prevented by some cultural practices. For example, it is very difficult for a girl from pastoral communities to continue with education after the age of 16 years. This is because it is believed that at this age, that girl is ready for marriage. Even the men will be putting pressure on that girl to get married. Therefore, if we had boarding schools, a girl could decide not to go home and stay in school. Two years ago in Pokot we had girls who refused to go home. This is because they felt that if they went home they would be forced to undergo the cut. They decided to stay in school and undergo an alternative rite of passage, conducted by pastors. Therefore, there are many challenges that girls face in those areas. Due to poverty some of the girls opt to get married so that their parents can get something in form of dowry. Therefore, the life of a young girl in the pastoralist community is so challenging that they end up compromising themselves in many ways to please their parents. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as we support the Motion, we need to ask ourselves whether three schools in every ward is viable or we can think of how to reduce the number. We might talk of three schools, but given the nomadic culture of some of the 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."
}