Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili has called upon men in the county to pursue ECDE courses and apply for jobs.
Speaking at Makueni Boys during child nurturing care training, she noted that out of around 950 ECDE teachers in the county, only 20 are men.
“We encourage men to come up in large numbers, and we will employ them. This job is like any other, and you don’t have to tag it as women. Our ECDE teachers have been employed on Permanent and Pensionable terms, and we will continue employing more,” Mulili said.
She spoke during the ECDE sensitization meeting at Makueni Boys, which brought together 500 teachers. The same meeting was held on Monday at Kibwezi, where 450 teachers attended.
She called upon the teachers to teach and nurture the children, adding that the county has constructed enough modern, kid-friendly classrooms and equipped them.
Makueni County ECM of ICT, Education and Internship Elizabeth Muli noted that the workshop’s purpose was to engage teachers in conversations about the rationalized ECDE curriculum and the nutrition of the learners.
“Nutrition is very important in the growth of our children. We trained our teachers the kind of food they need to feed our children and alleviate malnutrition in our children,” Muli said.
The county collaborated with UNICEF. They trained on health, nutrition, safety, and responsive caregiving for children.
One of the 20 male teachers, Jonathan Mutua Mwendwa from Mikisi ECDE and comprehensive school in Mavindini, said he started teaching in 2013 after his sister encouraged him.
“I was always uncomfortable being called a nursery school teacher because I am a man. With time, I got used to it, but we had a lot of financial challenges by then, operating with a budget of less than Ksh 10,000. Currently, I am getting about Ksh 30000, and let me tell you, having been used to operating with a small budget, the current salary has helped change my life and that of my family,” a father of two said.
One secret about ECDE kids is that they only need someone to reach their level, and everything is sorted. You need to think like them and mostly agree with their demands but in a clever way.
He added that they are respected like other teachers and teach in modern, kid-friendly classrooms fully equipped by the county government.
He encouraged other men to take up the challenge and apply, adding that his wife is very supportive of his job.
“I’m always happy being with young kids. They are very transparent and loving,” he added.
By Lydia Ngoolo
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