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{
    "id": 799914,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/799914/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 273,
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    "content": "consultations whatsoever with the stakeholders, leave alone the stakeholders of such disability like the deaf. It is a very frustrating experience for parents who have these children or who have children with any form of disability. I have been a teacher before, and I have been also a teacher at the university level. I find it very unkind that the curriculum at the national level should be developed, reach its pilot stage without any due consideration whatsoever about children with hearing disabilities. It is very unprofessional. This is one of the first elements that we needed to look at and incorporate in it. When it finds its comfort in our bill of rights, it is one of the fundamental rights that are enjoyed by Kenyans. Secondly, it finds its comfort in the position that Kiswahili is our second language which is already captured in our Constitution. We can either speak in Kiswahili or English. When you are developing an instrument of learning, and of course, sign language to be taught in Kiswahili and for these children to understand Kiswahili, who are deaf or have no hearing capacity, it is an omission that needs to be corrected. I would even say that under such circumstances, the Ministry of Education should be restrained from carrying out further pilot studies until the elements of this Motion are incorporated once it is passed by this august Senate sitting. It is an important Motion. We do not have to go even to the Bill stage because we are purely reminding the Ministry of Education that this is an omission that in fact, they should apologise to the public that they did not take into account this element of children with hearing disabilities. They are not able to hear well at this stage, and therefore, cannot participate in the Kiswahili language. I want to say quite categorically that people with hearing disability or children or adults who are deaf can excel. Their condition is so because the hearing aid, the transmission of the sound and the interpretation of the sound in the mind is not complete. Otherwise, the mental faculties are very much in place. They can compete with anybody once given the opportunity. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, that this young Kenyans should be discriminated against this element of learning is uncalled for. Therefore, I fully support any further development in the curriculum that will take into consideration those with hearing impairment. The curriculum lays the basis of learning. We have spelt out what must happen at the lower or primary levels. We will spell out what must happen at the Early Childhood Education and Development Centres (ECDEs). We have assigned responsibilities of ECDEs to the county governments. We have assigned the responsibility of primary, secondary and higher education to the national Government. Therefore, there should a synergy between the county governments and the national Government on how to deal with children with disabilities because when they are dealt with at the ECDE level, they can also be transferred over the national level. That the only bridging element that will bridge between the county governments and the national Government is a curriculum which is very carefully thought of and incorporates all the missing links that we are now seeing, that this Motion is beginning to show us. Unfortunately somebody somewhere in Jogoo House B- Madam Temporary Speaker you and I had the pleasure of sitting in that building - It is sad to know that the curriculum is being developed at the exclusion of some members of our society who have learning disability. 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."
}