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{
    "id": 675472,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/675472/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 373,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Melly",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12849,
        "legal_name": "Julius Kipbiwot Melly",
        "slug": "julius-kipbiwot-melly"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion. Burning of schools has caused a crisis in the education sector. I agree with Hon. Wamalwa but I want to point out that it is not by pointing fingers that we can solve this problem. As the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology, we have severally summoned the CS, the PS and even the TSC officials on this issue. This is affecting everyone in our country. My constituency has one of the first schools that were burnt. Over the weekend, I had to walk a long distance to talk to some girls on why they should behave in their schools. It is something that is affecting the whole country. It also affects each one of us. To be clear on this, the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology has sat down severally and pointed out some of measures the CS has to put in place to ensure law and order is restored in schools. One of them is to implement the Wangai Task Force Report and the Koech Report which among others recommended that discipline in schools be looked at holistically. It should not be an issue of the head teacher, the senior teacher or a few individuals. It should be an issue of societal concern. If you look at the recommendations of the Wangai Report, the Koech Report and others, you will realise that if they are implemented to the letter, law and order shall prevail in schools. I also want to point out that one of the causes of burning of schools is lack of discipline. I want to point out as a former teacher that children are not caned these days. There is no manual work in schools and there is no alternative form of punishment which has been provided. The guidance and counselling department in our schools has not taken root. We have summoned the CS to be candid. We had summoned the CS and the PS this morning, but unfortunately, they went to the Senate. As a Committee, we have also written to him that he should appear before us next week. We want to solve this matter once and for all. I also want to point out that if a society is not disciplined then our children will not be disciplined. Our children copy even the leadership of this country. They copy the way we make pronouncements and demonstrate on the streets. In the school set-up, we have the issue of drugs and substance abuse which starts with the societal values. Our society has gone down. When we stand here as leaders and point out what others have not done, it also starts from our homes, our houses, our shops and our streets where you will find that a child can easily buy drugs and access petrol. Most of our schools are not well-guarded. As the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology, we have given the Ministry of Education a timeline and we want to see this done. Through the CS and the education fraternity, including the KNUT, the TSC, we want to see this menace dealt with. For that reason, we have given ourselves a timeline of two weeks. We shall do all that is within our mandate and report to this House exactly what the causes of these fires are, and what recommendations are to be put in place to ensure that law and order prevails in our schools."
}