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{
    "id": 799842,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/799842/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 201,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "It is important that this House actually ensures that there is fairness in the lives of children with disabilities by giving them access to Kiswahili. There are good reasons why Kiswahili is being taught as a language. One of them is to enable learners to market themselves. After learning Kiswahili, learners can take up very many jobs such as interpreters, human resource managers and even work in media houses. There are very many jobs that people can do after learning a language just by virtue of being able to communicate well. That gives them an edge to get a job. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, everyone has an innate ability to acquire language; even the hearing impaired children have that ability. However, if this ability is not reinforced, it becomes difficult for them to acquire a language. Language acquisition is natural. Even when hearing impaired children join school, they are not a blank slate because they already have a language in mind. Some of them go to school when they know some form of Kiswahili, because they probably have been communicating with their siblings, parents or children of their neighbourhood. Therefore, by the time of going to school, they already have a language. The school is supposed to encourage this language and help the hearing impaired to master the essentials of language. That is how they can mingle with others. The school is, therefore, supposed to enhance this language. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, children with hearing impairment have a linguistic challenge that can be addressed in the school environment. It is important for teachers who teach them to go through the training that will help them to acquire the essentials of Kiswahili language. It is important for teachers who teach leaners with hearing impairment to go through the training that will assist them help these learners acquire the essentials of Kiswahili language. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the new curriculum sets Kiswahili as an optional subject to learners with hearing impairment. That is very unfair to these learners or those with linguistic challenges in Kiswahili because they will not even learn the language. They will not be keen about learning the language. The language will fossilize. If the language fossilizes, what happens? At the end of the day, they will also be affected. They will not be able to be in the world of work. They end up getting vocational jobs yet there are children who would have even got white collar jobs. We have Prof. Ndurumo, who has hearing impairment. He is a professor. He went, learnt and acquired language, mastered the competence and right now he is a professor. He has been teaching at the University of Nairobi. It is important for us to be fair to our learners who have linguistic challenges. Let us see how they can be taught to acquire this language. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is need also for these hearing impaired learners to be considered in terms of job placement. Of course, they cannot be considered in terms of job placement without a language. As I wind up, if we want to eliminate all forms of poverty among persons with disabilities, it is important that we start from the school environment. It is important that we give the hearing impaired children the right skills from early childhood, primary to secondary level so that at the end of the day, we can say, they do not have a job because 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."
}