Samburu County has launched a programme to distribute foodstuff worth Ksh44 million to 540 Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centres, mostly in food-deficit areas.
Speaking during the launch of the programme, Governor Jonathan Lati Lalelit disclosed that the programme was targeting to feed more than 40,000 learners.
He said that the programme is part of a number projects being rolled out in collaboration with education stakeholders which will also see upgrade of infrastructure and expansion of the feeding programme to reach more ECDE learners and also primary and secondary schools.
Lalelit said that the food, consisting of rice, beans, cooking oil and salt, is being distributed to all ECDE across the county’s 15 wards.
The governor noted that lack of food warranted by persistent drought, sometimes worsened by seasonal floods in the region disrupted education with families being forced to go days without food, which in turn translated to children dropping out of school.
Lalelit pointed out that the programme will guarantee increased enrolment of ECDE learners, stressing that success in the sector was the pillar to the success of the county’s education sector.
“We are determined to improve education standards in the region and that is why we started this programme,” he said.
He added that the county is planning to properly equip all the ECDE centres with required learning and teaching materials, and requisite facilities to further boost enrolment to over 70,000 learners.
The governor disclosed that the county was still grappling with worsening school dropout rates, with more than 64,000 children aged between 4 and 17 having dropped out.
He said that a number of interventions were being considered to curb the matter once and for all.
By Robert Nyagah
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