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{
    "id": 749435,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/749435/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 138,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Okoth",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12482,
        "legal_name": "Kenneth Odhiambo Okoth",
        "slug": "kenneth-odhiambo-okoth"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. It is a great day to rise up and speak in support of the President‟s Award Bill of 2017. It is timely. I am surprised that there has not been proper framework for the President‟s Award Bill. This is a program that I participated in when I was in high school. There is a famous writer, George Bernard, who said that of all the things in the world, there is nothing so worthy of honour and praise as perhaps accepting the mother as a good school. I went to a good school called Starehe Boys Centre. I will say it was a good school because our education was not limited to academics. It was limited to character developments, leadership, community service, physical education and cultural awareness. These are the type of things that I am seeing now by formalising the President‟s Award Scheme and at the President‟s Award Bill which when this House passes, will be an Act with the board of trustees and a whole proper structure. We will bring the elements of that quality education that a few of us were able to get at schools like Starehe to all schools in Kenya that want to participate. The target age group of the President‟s Award Scheme are young people who are 14 to 25 years of age. We want to pay attention to it and as for all our secondary schools, we want to push it at all our junior colleges and universities because it is really a form of education for live. The skills development, self- awareness, physical fitness, respect for environment and the commitment to serve and give back to society are all important things that we cannot just read through a text book and examine through an exam. I am hoping that in generations to come, multiply huge number of young people in Kenya will go through this award scheme. The award scheme is not something unique to Kenya. We are going to entrench it in law, enhance and fund it, which is a great thing. Many young people cannot participate in some of these programs simply because it costs money. If you are not lucky to go to a school that has a lot of resources like Starehe Boys Centre, then you may be left out. There is some patron of scouts in a number of schools in Kibra and sometimes even lack of a uniform to become a scout stops young people from fully experiencing the wonderful activities, joys and the growth opportunities that being a scout provides. I look forward to this Presidents Award Bill being passed and trustees and the authority being established to do its work and for this House to support it fully. I am a Member of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology and one of the key things that have been debated recently in the Education Committee is this commitment, plan and vision to move to a two-six-two-three system where we will reform our education system from what we know. The 8-4-4 produces many children competing towards exams in Class Eight and Form Four, but not necessarily gaining the life skills that they can transfer for employability. In the new system that has been proposed, I think the emphasis is correct on things such as character development, self-awareness, service to the community and entrepreneurship. Those are things that will be very well complimented by the elements of the President‟s Award Scheme where we will see more young people doing community service, participating in relevant ways in disaster reduction and management and prevention in their communities. They will learn the joy of service at a young age and we will instil that as a value system in our people. Our youth who are the future leaders of this country will serve us very well in the long term. I am excited to support that and I am really looking forward to thinking critically that Members of this House and future Parliaments will support the full funding of the Presidential Award Scheme. In many countries across Africa and those of the Commonwealth, the President‟s Award Scheme is established and runs well. I know Kenya has been a good system, but the lack of a legal framework has not allowed us to spread and make the President‟s Award Scheme for the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}