The Nakuru County government has successfully expanded access to early childhood education and vocational training while increasing financial support for needy learners. Governor Susan Kihika stated that the introduction of a school feeding programme has helped increase enrolment in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) from about 58,000 when she took office to more than 68,000 currently.
The county government is providing fortified porridge to learners in all public ECDE centres, and the number of public ECDE centres has also increased from 1,003 to 1,073. Governor Kihika emphasized that the plan is to ensure that the county provides the best learning environment and quality education to learners by providing both facilities and necessary support for the ECDE sector.
To support the feeding programme and provide cleaner and safer facilities for preparing porridge, the county has been constructing modern kitchens in ECDE centres. Additionally, the county has employed 192 ECDE teachers on permanent and pensionable terms and confirmed 306 teachers who had previously been serving on contract. The administration plans to recruit more teachers and establish additional ECDE centres to accommodate the growing enrolment.
The county has also been distributing learning materials to public ECDE centres and constructing classrooms equipped with age-appropriate furniture and teachers' desks. This move aims to create a conducive learning environment for young children. Furthermore, Governor Kihika announced an increase in the county's bursary allocation from Sh110 million in 2022 to more than Sh500 million to support needy learners.
The increased bursary allocation is intended to support more learners who might otherwise struggle to access education due to financial constraints. Governor Kihika stated that more needy learners are accessing bursaries from the county, and the allocation was increased after realizing that more learners need support to access education at all levels.
In addition to ECDE, the county has operationalized 10 additional Vocational Training Centres, increasing the number from 33 before Kihika took office to 43 currently. The administration has invested in infrastructure at the vocational institutions, including workshops and training rooms. Governor Kihika urged more young people to enrol in the centres and acquire technical skills that can improve their access to employment opportunities.
The investments form part of the county government's education and skills-development programme, which covers early childhood education, financial support for learners, and vocational training. Governor Kihika encouraged young people to take advantage of the Vocational Training Centres and acquire technical training that is useful for the job market locally and even abroad.
Key points
- The Nakuru County government's school feeding programme has increased ECDE enrolment from 58,000 to 68,000.
- The county has increased its bursary allocation from Sh110 million to Sh500 million to support needy learners.
- The county has operationalized 10 additional Vocational Training Centres, increasing the number to 43.
