Siaya Governor James Orengo has called on the Government through the Ministry of Education (MoE) to focus on training teachers and pumping in resources to enhance technology usage in primary schools.
According to Governor, much focus has been on digital culture at classroom level with little attention given to leadership setup in the schools.
Speaking during the Nyanza region’s Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association (KEPSHA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Siaya Institute of Technology, he said schools trained reading and writing skills, which was considered a relatively systematic and well understood undertaking.
“Today, the influence of digital culture on the modern childhood educational context is dynamic and fast changing, hence technology is investable,” said Orengo.
He added that despite the efforts being driven towards strengthening primary education, there are still glaring gaps which need to be addressed such as lack of capacity by teachers, unwillingness to embrace change, lack of resources and lack of technological infrastructure.
“As a county government, we have put in resources in our budget, for digital learning, in our ECDE centres across the sub-counties,” he said.
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The county boss said the introduction of the Competency Based Curriculum has faced a myriad of challenges in implementation, and it is through leadership that encourages, inspires and one that motivates the teachers that will bring about meaningful changes in the learners in order to achieve the vision and goals that the initiators of this curriculum had.
He observed that countries that have effectively implemented CBC, have built productive citizens.
“It is important that this curriculum is funded well for efficient and effective implementation,” said the governor.
Orengo, who also urged school heads to work together to strengthen Early Childhood Education (ECE, said his administration will continue supporting initiatives that are aimed at steering ECE to the next level.
“In line with our unwavering commitment to ensuring no child goes hungry in school, Siaya County is embarking on a comprehensive school feeding programme. With an allocation of KSh180 million, this initiative aims to provide nutritious meals to our students, acknowledging the crucial role nutrition plays in fostering cognitive development and academic success. By nourishing their bodies, we aim to nourish their minds, paving the way for a brighter future for generations to come,” he said.
He further added that his administration has endeavored to ensure that all ECDE teachers are employed on permanent and pensionable basis.
He said that in this financial year, over 600 teachers were converted to permanent and pensionable basis, from the previous contracts.
“I would urge school heads to be more flexible to cope with technology-driven changes and new development in order to upscale,” added Orengo.
By Erick Nyayiera
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