A section of education stakeholders in Baringo County have escalated demands to Members of Parliament to revert the management of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) to the National government.
The call was made during a public participation forum on six proposed educational reforms bills at Kenya School of Government, Baringo Campus, in Kabarnet town on Wednesday where the stakeholders cited a myriad of challenges the foundational lowest level of education in the country was facing under the current devolved system.
Led by Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Koibatek branch Executive Secretary Francis Bundotich, the stakeholders pointed out that county governments, especially Baringo have totally failed in handling ECDE Centres across its 30 wards.
Bundotich who spoke in the forum that was chaired by Baringo North Member of Parliament Joseph Makilap alongside other legislators Nabii Nabwera (Lugari), Peter Orero (Kibra), Mary Emase (Teso South) and Prof Phyllis Bartoo (Moiben) highlighted severe infrastructure deficits and resource shortage as some of the teething problems that has lowered the standards of early education in the vast county.
The unionist who also noted with concerns a shortfall in ECDE staffing and improved welfare argued that transferring the function back to the national government will allow the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to uniformly register, employ and manage it under fair and centralized standards.
“Let pre-primary school be taken over from the county to the TSC and Ministry of Education so that it can be managed better alongside Primary and Junior School under a comprehensive model,” he said.
Bundotich’s sentiments were echoed by a representative of parents, Reuben Chepsongol, who shared the tribulations parents and teachers from across ECDE centres were facing.
Chepsongol noted that many parents especially in lowland areas, cannot afford the peripheral costs during enrolment of ECDE children and challenges of food which to a greater extent has discouraged the learner’s retention in school.
The former Bartabwa Ward Member of County Assembly suggested the state take the function back in order to also ensure better remuneration for the teachers who are earning paltry wages whose disbursement sometimes delay yet they are working in harsh environments with many other people depending on the same salary.
Makilap encouraged the stakeholders to pursue the matter using right channels since it is a constitutional process that will need three thirds of parliamentarians to change it.
Makilap took the opportunity to laud the stakeholders for contributions to the six key bills which he said is geared towards transforming the education sector in the country.
By Benson Kelio and Joshua Kibet
