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{
    "id": 813566,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/813566/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 68,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 124,
        "legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
        "slug": "samson-ongeri"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Sen. (Prof.) Kamar for protecting me. What are they missing by not being registered? First, when the capitation for any school is done, it will depend on whether the school is registered or not. What will be the punishment for that capitation? None. This is because the capitation will be based on the number of registered students. However, they will still have the facility. What does it mean in terms of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC)? They will of necessity provide teachers to those facilities. What does it mean to the infrastructure fund, which is already set up as an entity and a budget line from Treasury to the Ministry of Education? They will also access those facilities, expand the infrastructure for those schools and get more funds. What will it mean in terms of opportunities like games and other things? They will also be able to get the money for games and take care of the facilities. They will participate in all these games, music festivals, art and other various activities in schools without their parents funding them. Schools which are not registered, they are being blocked out of these activities not unless they are funded by their parents. We must not accept a situation where some Kenyan children are marginalised and deprived of their rights to participate in school activities. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is an area we need to simply pronounce ourselves and I think I have done so very clearly on this matter. It is a matter that we need to take up seriously and a follow-up done by this Senate, so that we can redeem and salvage these children who are already condemned for non-participation in the most important school activities. Speaking as a professional, when we deny a child the right of association, learning coupled with healthcare and clean water in schools, we are simply saying we do not need that child. Unfortunately, the Constitution will not allow you to take that route. These are fundamental rights entrenched in our Constitution. So the only sensible and most obvious thing to do is for us to admit that there has been a mistake and we must make it right. We may contend that the number of required teachers is not adequate. At the time I was in the Ministry, there was a shortage of 26,000 teachers. Today, there is a shortage of 76,000. That was why we set up more teacher training colleges to take care of this shortfall. We have many teachers who have trained. As I speak today, out there in the field, we have thousands and thousands of properly trained teachers who are waiting to be deployed to deliver service. Therefore, the excuse that there are no teachers available does not hold water. 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."
}