Governors reject new plan to merge ECDE and primary teacher training

Governors have opposed a proposal by Education ministry to merge Early Childhood Development Education teacher training with primary school teacher training.

The Council of Governors called for the immediate withdrawal of the circular.

Kericho Governor Dr Erick Mutai, who chairs the CoG Education Committee, warned the move would disrupt existing programmes and disadvantage learners pursuing specialised ECDE courses.

He spoke during the inaugural National Foundational Learning Conference 2026 at Wild Waters in Mombasa.

Mutai said ECDE is a distinct and specialised field focused on early childhood development and caregiving and should not be merged with primary education training.

“We have formally written to the Ministry of Education to express our concerns. ECDE is a specialised curriculum and must be treated as such,” he said.

He said the council had engaged both the Education cabinet secretary and the principal secretary on the matter, urging them to withdraw the directive.

Mutai said the proposed changes have already affected students pursuing ECDE in universities, particularly those enrolled in Bachelor of Education (ECDE) programmes, who risk missing out on government funding under the current model.

Globally, ECDE is recognised as a specialised area that requires focused training and resources, he said.

The CoG is also pushing for the establishment of a ring-fenced Sh5 billion grant to support ECDE teacher training and recruitment across counties.

Mutai said the programme was not adequately costed during the transition to devolution, leaving counties strained.

“Counties operate on limited budgets. Fully implementing ECDE schemes of service without additional support would place immense pressure on county finances,” he said.

On the issue of learning materials, Mutai said governors had engaged the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to address delays in the supply of books and instructional resources.

“We are working with KICD to ensure timely delivery of learning materials so that children at the foundational level are not disadvantaged,” he added.

ECDE national director Martha Odundo welcomed the conference, describing it as the first of its kind focused on foundational learning, which spans PP1 to Grade 3.

She said the three-day conference had brought together key stakeholders, including county executives for education, county directors, national government officials, heads of state agencies and non-state actors.

“This marks an important step forward in strengthening foundational learning in Kenya. It is the first national platform dedicated to this critical stage of education,” she said.