Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has faulted the Competency Based Curriculum(CBC) recommendations that Pre-Primary(PP) classes be under the national government.
He says that unless the 2010 constitution is changed, the proposals can't be applicable adding that it's well stipulated that Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) is under county governments.
"It's unconstitutional for one to suggest that PPI and PP2 be domiciled in primary schools and be manned by headteachers. According to the constitution, the two levels of learning are under county governments," he said.
The governor was speaking at the county headquarters during the launch of a free feeding program for nursery school children, which will benefit learners in the 524 Early Childhood Development Education institutions in the county.
The ECDE kids will each enjoy a bowl of nutritious porridge and three eggs per week with the move aimed at ensuring as many as possible children enrol.
The program, unique in all counties, aims not only to improve nutrition among our children but also to increase enrolment and retain children in the ECDE centres, which most of them have been skipping due to a lack of food.
Wamatangi said that hundreds of kids in the county and specifically in rural areas don't enrol in ECDE centres due to lack of food.
"Hundreds of school-going kids remain at home due to lack of food in schools and that's what I and other governors want to put an end to," he said.
While the uji flour will be procured from established producers to ensure quality, the county government will obtain eggs from farmers near the ECDE facilities as part of our economic empowerment program.
Further, the county government has begun the construction of 180 ECDE centres in a phased program and has already granted the tender for the construction of 40 of them.
The new centres will have twin classrooms to accommodate PPI and PP2, an office for teachers, an ablution block, and a play space for children, and also refurbish the existing ones.
We will also improve the remuneration of ECDE teachers to ensure that they live decent lives.
