Governor Cheboi proposes equipping of ECDE classes by contractors

Kabarnet, Wednesday June 7, 2023

KNA by Joshua Kibet

Contractors who will be awarded tenders to build Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) classrooms in Baringo will be required to include equipping, in their scope of work.

The above statement was made by Governor Benjamin Cheboi who noted that the move to equip the classrooms will address a teething challenge in the county where infrastructures have been built but they cannot enroll pupils due to lack of furniture and other key facilities like sanitary facilities.

He pointed out that quite a number of the centres were lacking water storage facilities therefore posing a great health risk which the county administration is trying to sort out starting from the 2023/2024 Financial Year.

Cheboi noted that since the advent of devolution in 2013, over 739 permanent classrooms have been constructed across the seven sub counties with an additional 42 set to be completed by the end of this financial year.

He stated that the county administration has purchased Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) materials tha have been distributed to all the 1,045 ECDE centres across the county. “We want all our children who have been enrolled in our ECDE centres to get the best quality education as possible,” the Baringo boss said while addressing residents in Kabartonjo town, Baringo North Sub County.

Governor Cheboi said his administration was concluding discussions with the county public service board (CPSB) on improvement of the terms of ECDE teachers as a way of motivating them under schemes of services which shall be rolled out soon.

On bursaries, the governor said they are aware of the big challenge in meeting the cost of educating children that is borne by parents, that is why they have raised secondary school allocation from Sh18 million to Sh30 million in the recently concluded supplementary budget.

He commended nine wards which have proposed to use ward funds to boost the bursary kitty by additional Sh22 million in the 2023/2024 financial year and encouraged other wards to borrow a leaf from the nine.

Baringo North Member of Parliament Joseph Makilap said he is passionate in improving education standards for learners in his area so that they can support their respective families in future.

Makilap said he is currently supporting 25 schools out of a possible 30 and the results are there to be seen since there was great improvement during last year’s national examinations where the sub county produced two secondary schools amongst the top five in the county.

“We must turn to the former glory of Baringo North and there is no choice about it, we must succeed,” the legislator said adding he has already pumped Sh52 million to support TVET institutions for the few months of his leadership.

Courtesy ; K. N. A