By Norah Musega and Jonathan Wambi
Migori County government has planned to upgrade Technical and Vocational Colleges (TVCs) and Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centres.
The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education Dr. Betty Samburu, who spoke to Education News in her office in Migori town, said that the plans are underway and expected to follow the swearing into office of its Chief Officer.
Samburu noted that modernizing the learning facilities and infrastructure will enhance skills development which will impact the future of the children and youth who will in turn contribute to major economic growth of the county.
She said that they will not only upgrade the already existing facilities but also construct new ones and equip them with necessary learning materials and resources.
“We will focus on upgrading current classrooms and construct new up-to-standard ones and equip both with learning materials and resources as a way of improving county skills development,” she said.
Employment of more tutors to help reach the required teacher-learner ratio to the institutions is among one of the major moves anticipated to improve the education sector.
Dr. Samburu lauded the previous regime for constructing TVCs and ECDE centres, promising to document all the programs they will do going forward, as a way of enhancing transparency and accountability to the residents.
“We are grateful for the kind of work the previous regime did in the education sector, they actually did a good job by constructing several TVCs. We will upgrade some of them and going forward document the programmes we intend to begin as a way to promote accountability and transparency,” she said.
The CECM also revealed that a plan to introduce a feeding programme in ECDE centres is underway to curb malnutrition among school-going children, mostly from drought-hit regions.
“I am very passionate about the health and welfare of young children. We want to intervene as a department to establish a feeding programme to enable those from drought-hit areas to get a meal daily,” she added.
Dr. Samburu also warned parents and the community to quit practicing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) saying that it is illegal and those found culpable will be arrested and charged in the courts of law.
“FGM is illegal and it’s actually a form of Gender Based Violence. We are very categorical on this and I want to warn parents and communities that our office will hunt those responsible and charge them in the courts of law. Let them shun away from this illegal act,” she warned.
She promised to organize sensitization programs to educate communities on the consequences of FGM among women and girls within Migori County.
