In a move to enhance nursery school education, the Kiambu county government has launched a comprehensive, free training programme for Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers.
The county is partnering with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to equip teachers with essential skills to better serve young learners.
At the same time, Governor Kimani Wamatangi has announced that his administration will offer bursaries to all ECDE teachers enrolling for diploma courses, to ensure they meet national standards and provide high-quality education to learners.
Wamatangi, who opened the training programme at a workshop attended by over 1,500 tutors yesterday, said the county would continue to support teachers pursuing professional growth.
“This workshop is part of our initiative to ensure every young learner in our county has access to quality education,” said the Governor.
As part of the initiative, Wamatangi disclosed that all ECDE teachers attending training programmes will be fully funded.
“Starting this month, teachers who joined our ECDE programme without a diploma will be enrolled in diploma courses to ensure they meet the required standards,” he said.
Reducing ratio
To improve the student-to-teacher ratio, the county government will hire an additional 250 ECDE teachers in January, reducing the ratio to 1:34, which will allow more personalised attention to students.
The Governor also outlined new resources to support the ECDE sector, including a continuous retraining programme designed to help teachers address the evolving needs of young learners in an increasingly digital world.
“Through this retraining, we want to ensure that our ECDE teachers are equipped with the requisite skills,” said Wamatangi.
In addition to teacher support, the county boss unveiled resources aimed at enhancing the ECDE learning environment. According to the Governor, all ECDE learners will receive five free 96-page exercise books covering essential subjects.
Last month, Wamatangi launched 109 new ECDE centres, with 25 others nearing completion and 138 additional centres under construction.
Each facility has modern classrooms, offices, play areas, and ablution blocks for both teachers and students. Once completed, the new classrooms will bring the county closer to its goal of transforming 524 ECDE centres, establishing a total of 541 centres by next year.
A comprehensive feeding programme has also been implemented in all learning centres. Children are provided with fortified porridge daily, two eggs per week, and milk every Thursday.
This initiative has boosted enrolment from 32,000 to 39,000 pupils.
Additionally, the county supports local women by providing Kienyeji chicks, helping them establish businesses to supply eggs for the feeding programme.
