Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has directed the Department of Education to do mapping in all six sub-counties to identify places where more kitchens can be constructed for a feeding programme to be rolled out in Primary Schools akin to the one in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE).
Speaking at the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (KEPSHA) Annual General Meeting and Conference in Mombasa, the Governor assured the Head Teachers of his unwavering support for their roles in society.
“We all grew and stood on your shoulders. Let no one lie to you, we are as good as those who taught us to be where we are,” said Governor Nassir.
The Governor highlighted some of the transformative initiatives in the education sector since he took the reins of power in the Port City. Education, the Governor said is one of the departments with the highest vote head.
“We looked at the situation at our Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE), and we came up with a feeding programme. We are one of the first counties in the country that came up with a feeding programme. It’s 100 per cent free of cost from the parents or the school,” he explained.
The feeding programme saw an increase in learners from 8,000 to more than 10,000. Currently, the devolved government is constructing ten ECDE schools to accommodate more learners.
He told the Teachers to expect an increase in transition to Primary Schools.
“We need to have a seamless transition and fusion from the ECDE to Primary Schools. That is vital for any growth to happen,” said the Governor.
Through the county scholarship programme initiated last year, the County delegated the Primary school boards to choose the best performing two boys and two girls.
“400 students were fully sponsored. This is going to be a continuous programme up to university.”
The Nassir administration is also disbursing Sh5000 to all students in 137-day secondary schools as a yearly bursary.
The Governor announced that through the Shariff Nassir Foundation, 11,000 KCSE candidates across 114 schools will be receiving lunch to enable them to concentrate on the month-long examinations.
On his part, KEPSHA Chairman Johnson Nzioka assured the Head Teachers that 18,000 classrooms under construction across the country for Grade 9 learners will be completed in December.
Nzioka further assured parents and teachers that there will be a 100 per cent transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9 in January.
To ensure the success of the Competency-Based Curriculum and reduce the teacher shortage the Teachers Service Commission was urged to expedite the recruitment of 20,000 teachers it had promised.
By Sadik Hassan
