- Omoke says the initiative has improved school attendance and nutrition among learners.
- The milk programme has encouraged parents to send children to school regularly, especially those previously affected by lack of food at home.
- Omoke also commended Governor Simba Arati for employing more than 130 ECDE teachers on permanent and pensionable terms in South Mugirango.
By Enock Okong’o
The Kenya Early Childhood Development Education Teachers Chairman for Etago Sub-county, James Omoke, has lauded the Kisii County Government for providing milk to nursery school children under the county’s ECDE feeding program.
Speaking on Thursday in Kisii town during a public meeting on child safety in a challenging world of distrust, Omoke said the initiative had improved attendance and nutrition levels among learners since it began in February this year. He noted that school attendance in the region had risen by 25 percent, describing the increase as encouraging for both teachers and parents.
“The milk program is keeping our children in school and improving their concentration in class. Parents who previously kept children at home due to lack of food are now bringing them daily,” Omoke said.
He thanked Kisii Governor Simba Arati for employing more than 130 ECDE teachers in South Mugirango on permanent and pensionable terms. Omoke said the move had boosted morale among teachers and urged the county to confirm those still serving on contract.
The Chairman also revealed that South Mugirango Constituency has 500 trained ECDE teachers who have not been absorbed into the service. He asked the county government to make public the list of candidates who qualified in the recent interviews to end anxiety over job placement.
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While welcoming Governor Arati’s promise to extend milk provision to learners from Grade 1 to Grade 3, Omoke proposed the introduction of full feeding programs to support children’s health, growth, and development. He argued that a full meal would improve retention and academic performance in the early years.
Omoke further called on residents to improve production of farm goods such as bananas and vegetables so they could supply the county for the school feeding program. He said selling produce to the government would create a ready market for farmers and generate income to improve household livelihoods.
He urged the county government to build more classrooms and equip them with child-friendly learning materials to accommodate the growing number of young learners. According to Omoke, some ECDE centers were still operating in congested and unsuitable structures, which posed safety and health risks.
County officials present at the meeting reiterated their commitment to strengthening the ECDE sector through infrastructure development, teacher training, and continuous provision of learning and feeding materials. They said the county was working with national government agencies and partners to expand the milk program to more centers across all 45 wards.
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