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{
    "id": 53716,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/53716/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 364,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ms. Mbarire",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Tourism",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 78,
        "legal_name": "Cecily Mutitu Mbarire",
        "slug": "cecily-mbarire"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to begin by congratulating the Mover of this Motion, because I think it is a matter whose time has come. It is actually long overdue. This is a matter that the Government should have taken on board a while ago. For any Member of Parliament, who obviously sits in all the BoGs in the various schools in the constituency and understands how schools are being run, it is very clear that the non-teaching staff have been greatly ignored. It is time that we thought about that. The success of an educational institution does not only depend on the teaching staff, but it is really the collective role of both the teaching and non-teaching staff. What we know is that non-teaching staff are grossly underpaid. Sometimes even that underpayment does not come as regularly as it should at end of every month. Sometimes these people go for many months without pay. I have cases in my constituency where, especially, watchmen of primary schools go for several months without pay. Sometimes even upon retirement, you will find that they are not able to get pension and they go home with empty hands after many years of service. We also find that the risks surrounding their jobs are not covered. In particular, I will go back to the watchmen again, who sometimes are hurt by thugs when they invade the schools at night. They sometimes end up dying and their families are left without compensation or any due consideration to the fact that they have been left without a bread winner. However, we know that this burden cannot be left squarely on the parents’ shoulders. That is why I feel that a scheme of service for these people would be very important, so that we can get the right people who are well trained and skilled in their areas of profession. This will ensure that skills such as firefighting and first aid especially for those that watch over the children day and night can be part of the profession that they undertake to improve on their services as they move on. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also feel that there is so much money, as one hon. Member has mentioned earlier on, from the Government to these institutions and yet some employees do not have adequate skills to manage those funds. If you look at primary schools, for example, you will find that the management of those funds is purely in the hands of the head teacher. I know that the Government has been training"
}