By Andanje Wakhungu
Days after the County Government of Busia announced it will employ Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers on permanent basis, the County Government of Kakamega has also followed suit; promising to fully absorb those teachers who were on contract basis.
The outgoing Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the scheme of service for the teachers has been developed to ensure that they are on permanent and pensionable terms with their terms remaining sustainable.
In a statement read on his behalf by County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education, Science and Technology Dr. George A. Lutomia, Oparanya said the move was aimed at addressing staffing challenges in ECDE centres in the area.
“To address staffing challenges in ECDE and Polytechnics, the county has so far employed 2,016 teachers and 369 instructors respectively as the process of recruiting more is ongoing,” said the governor.
“ECDE learning is crucial and the determining factor of what our children will become in the future. My county has deemed it fit to absorb the contract teachers to permanent terms as one way of boosting their morale and committing them to deliver their best,” he said.
The sentiments were expressed during the flagging off of ECDE furniture to all the twelve Sub-counties within Kakamega at a function held at Kakamega Social Hall.
Oparanya also revealed that a similar Scheme of Service had been developed by the county to review the terms of Polytechnic instructors.
Oparanya said his government had so far utilized Shs.530 Million on various developments of infrastructure in institutions in the county to ensure a conducive learning environment.
“Beside ECDE and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET’s), the county government has also invested in educational infrastructural development in both primary and secondary schools,” the speech read in part.
