A new ECDE Center in Nakuru countyThe Nakuru government has expanded access to early childhood education and vocational training while increasing financial support for needy learners.
Governor Susan Kihika said the introduction of a school feeding programme has helped increase enrolment 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
The number of public ECDE centres has also increased from 1,003 to 1,073, according to the governor.
“Our plan is to ensure that we provide the best learning environment and quality education to the learners by providing both the facilities and necessary support for the ECDE sector,” Kihika said.
The county has been constructing modern kitchens in ECDE centres to support the feeding programme and provide cleaner and safer facilities for preparing porridge.
Kihika said the county had employed 192 ECDE teachers on permanent and pensionable terms and confirmed 306 teachers who had previously been serving on contract.
She said the administration planned 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.
Meanwhile, the governor announced an increase in the county's bursary allocation from Sh110 million in 2022 to more than Sh500 million.
“That means more needy learners are accessing bursaries from our county and we have increased the allocation after realising that we have more of our learners who need support to access education at all levels,” she said.
The governor said the increased allocation was intended to support more learners who might otherwise struggle to access education because of financial constraints.
The county has also operationalised 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.
Kihika urged more young people to enrol in the centres and acquire technical skills that can improve their access to employment opportunities.
“We urge more of our youth to take advantage of the VTCs we have developed in our county so that they access technical training that is useful for the job market locally and even abroad,” she said.
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.
