Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 813576,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/813576/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 78,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mwaura",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13129,
        "legal_name": "Isaac Maigua Mwaura",
        "slug": "isaac-mwaura"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Statement. The great American Legislator, Horace Mann, said that, indeed, education is a great equaliser. He is an interesting man because, together with a lady called Dorothea Dix, they started a school for idiots, imbeciles and the mentally retarded way back in 1757. I have mentioned him because he said something that has capacitated many people, including ourselves in this House; that when you go to school, you are equal; whether you come from a rich or poor background. He is also a pioneer in special needs education and the schooling of those who have disabilities. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of the number of students versus that of teachers is a critical one. Every time we hear the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) saying that there are many trained teachers who are not employed as teachers. Having come from a special needs background; I know that it is not about having the optimal number of students in a classroom. With the advent of Free Primary Education (FPE), we have seen that the more pupils or students you have, the lesser the quality of education. Therefore, it means that if you cannot register schools because of numbers, this becomes a catalyst for people to get into non-formal schools. These schools exist and the children are learning, but that learning is delegitimised by the fact that these schools are not recognised. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Education seems to have developed a criterion where they discourage schools to be registered. You will find a number of schools that have been built using the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), but it takes too long for them to be registered. For example, we have a situation where most special units – which are now over 2,900 in Kenya – are not formally recognised by the Government. It, therefore, means that they will not have access to Government capitation. You will find children with a lot of different types of disabilities in a special unit within a Government school, yet there is only one regular teacher. This is because this unit is not formally recognized and registered, thus denying them support. This is a serious issue of inequality, considering the amount of money we are spending in our education system. The current budget tells us that we are spending more than 25 per cent of our budget on the Education Ministry alone; which is more than Kshs4 billion. When 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."
}