By Tsozungu Kombe
Education stakeholders in Kwale County have been called upon to exercise a high degree of team work in a bid to improve education standards in the region.
Kwale County Executive Committee Member in charge of Education docket, Mrs. Mishi Kaole told Education News in Kwale town recently that the county government has set aside sh 400 million as bursary scholarships to enhance education levels in the county.
She further revealed that the bursary scholarships will enable needy, bright secondary school, colleges and university students in the county from poor backgrounds pursue education in the country.
The County Executive Committee Member however disclosed that the county has 20 political wards and each ward will get sh 20 million as bursary scholarships out of the sh 400 million bursary to be disbursed to the needy students to enable them continue with their education the country.
She asked parents in the county to come forward and apply bursaries for their children, urging them to ensure that all their school age going children go to school without fail, noting that the county’s rapid development depends entirely on educated people.
“The trend would actually enhance education levels in the county,” observed the County Executive Committee Member.
She also stated that the county government has prioritized the Nursery Education section in the county, with a view of ensuring that all nursery school age going children go to school without fail.
Mrs. Mishi further said that the county government has set a side shillings 292,947,750 to implement Early Childhood Development Education programmes in the region.
“The county has 913 ECDE centres with an enrolment of 59,822 nursery school children,” she explained.
Out of the 913 ECDE centres in the region 545 are modern ones.
Mrs. Mishi went on to say that the county government has employed 924 ECDE teachers and placed them on permanent terms and all trained on Competency Based Curriculum ( CBC ).
“The county has 303 private ECDE centres with an enrolment of 12,602 nursery school children”, she added.
The County Executive Committee Member further revealed that the county government has set a side sh 28 million for ECDE children Porridge programme.
“The move would retain ECDE children at their centres in the county,” stated Mrs. Mishi.
Kwale County government’s Director in charge of ECDE and VTC Mr. Abdalla Bilashaka said that the county government has employed 24 ECDE supervisors to supervise the learning process in the ECDE centres in the region.
Turning to Vocational and Training Colleges (VTC), he disclosed that the county government has 41 Vocational and Training Colleges with an enrolment of 3,800 students. The County Government has hired 142 tutors to train students within the TVET institutions.
“The county government has already provided equipment to the Vocational and training Colleges,” added the director.
Mr. Abdalla, however revealed that the county government has set a side sh 118,397,548 to implement Vocational and Training Colleges programmes in the region.
At the same time, he called on youth in the county to cooperate fully and join VTCs in large numbers to acquire various basic technical skills in different fields.
However, he said that VTCs play a vital role in the country, that of preparing the youth for future self-employment.
The director also said that the basic technical skills acquired from Vocational and Training Colleges would enable the youth to be self-reliant in terms of employment opportunities in the country.
He further advised parents in the county to enroll their children who completed Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) to VTCs in large numbers to secure various basic technical skills in different fields for future job creation in the Labour market in the country.
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