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"content": "might happen, and canvassed in the Bill, are those that have to do with those that are going to be directed to foreign students from other countries. For such kind of students, there will be a particular charge. Mr. Temporary Speaker, of course, we know that many schools come up with other sort of charges and expenses that are not necessarily in form of fees. In many schools, you will find that a child is asked not to come to school because they have not paid a specific fee. This Bill makes it very clear that such exercise should not be entered into. It is very clear that once a child is in class, even if there is a problem, for example, in terms of uniforms or shoes because they are not expected to pay fee, they should not be removed from that particular environment. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, more proactive action needs to be taken, especially for the disadvantaged children and those with inabilities, so that, at the end of the day, no excuse is made. This is because they do not have the right equipment. Indeed, the responsibility of making sure that the right equipment and environment is applied is given to the board and the ECDE centres. They must make sure that this provision is taken care of. This is what is stipulated in the First Schedule, which puts into place exactly what the expectations are, in terms of the provision of the sort of classrooms and environment that are meant to be there. These are very clear right from the outset. Therefore, no school or anybody can come up to say that they do not have particular equipment. For example, the size of the classroom as indicated should be eight by six metres with adequate ventilation. The responsibility to look at any ECDE centre and ensure that it follows this provision is specifically given to the county government. However, at the national level, it is given to the Cabinet Secretary of Education. So, any matters education in terms of this Bill and the enactment of the regulations that will be put into place, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of education will take the responsibility. He will ensure that these regulations are put into place, so that interpretation of the Law is made adequately to the point at which it can be applied. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Clause 41 deals with the issue of equality. I do not want to repeat it because I think that I over emphasized that. Clause 41(2) addresses itself to the whole idea about race, age, disability, language, culture and gender as a basis for inequality. So, as long as somebody can prove that there is some sort of discrimination purely on these background issues, then that is something serious and tantamount to breaking a law. A fine of about Kshs150,000 has been put in place if the legislation is broken. The age of admission is also indicated in the legislation as three to six years old. I am not sure whether, in terms of enforcement, this is will be possible. I know there are people who have children as young as two-and-a-half years already in school. Some are even still enjoying their mothers’ breasts and are suddenly taken to school. I think there is another level that has gone even lower. Rather than thinking about ECDE centres, we have some sort of support systems that are given by some schools so"
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