Tana River County Executive for Education, Abbas Kunyo, has said the department of education is in the process of phasing out all untrained ECD teachers to ensure pupils are only taught by professional teachers.
Speaking at Laza primary school, while marking the Day of the African Child, Kunyo said currently the county government has employed a total of 347 ECD teachers and plans are at an advanced stage to employ 200 more teachers in order to phase out the untrained teachers.
The Executive also warned communities practicing female genital mutilation (FGM) in the county, saying they were undermining the rights of children and thus abusing the constitution that advocates for the protection of children.
He called on communities such as Orma, Wardei, Watta, and Warlwana, among others, to stop the practice in order to allow young girls to proceed with learning in schools.
He also said FGM is an act of violence against girls; hence, it should be condemned and stopped immediately.
Kunyo also thanked NGOs, CBOs, and other partners who are involved in the fight against FGM in the county, saying the vice was the leading contributor to rampant cases of early marriages in the area.
Kunyo urged parents to obey the rights of their children by taking them to school, adding that education was the right of every child, therefore parents who refuse to take their children to school should be prosecuted.
Speaking at the same function, Tana River Children’s Officer Maria Mbote said cases of child neglect and child labour had increased in the region, hence calling on parents to take their children to school instead of engaging them in child labour.
By Simon Guruba
