Elgeyo marakwet: The Senate Committee on Education has commended the Elgeyo Marakwet County Government for providing free education and porridge to Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) learners. Committee Chairperson Betty Montet lauded the county's collaboration with development partners, which has complemented government efforts to ensure that young learners not only access education but also remain in school.
According to Kenya News Agency, Montet noted that the school feeding program has significantly increased enrolment while improving learners' health through regular deworming and Vitamin A supplementation provided by the Department of Health. The committee, which toured the county to oversee the implementation of ECDE and Vocational Training Centre (VTC) programs, praised the construction of 814 classrooms, offices, toilet blocks, kitchens, and 18 VTC centres across the 18 wards.
Montet further observed that the establishment of VTCs would help youth acquire practical skills, enabling them to start income-generating projects and reduce unemployment. Additionally, the committee commended the county government for improving ECDE teachers' salaries and introducing a medical cover for them.
Governor Wesley Rotich revealed that the county has 32,592 ECDE learners, with 16,834 boys and 15,758 girls, and 18,686 of them benefiting from the feeding program. He said the county employs 945 teachers, resulting in a teacher-learner ratio of 1:35 against the recommended 1:25, creating a deficit of 405 teachers. Rotich emphasized the need to encourage more male teachers to join ECDE teaching to enhance gender balance.
He added that while the county was working on implementing a scheme of service for ECDE teachers, inadequate funding posed a major challenge, with an additional Sh77 million required annually. "Due to shortage of funds, we have been forced to hire our ECDE teachers on contract," he said.
On VTCs, Rotich said the county, in partnership with KCB Foundation, has invested Sh46 million to train 1,318 youth, who have since graduated and received starter kits. This financial year, Sh44 million has been allocated to sponsor 1,260 more youth. He noted that the delay in disbursement of funds from the National Treasury continues to hinder the implementation of education programs.