Kilifi County to review policies on pre-primary, feeding programme

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi. [File, Standard]

The County Government of Kilifi is reviewing the it’s pre-primary education policy and feeding programme bill before it is submitted to the County Assembly.

According to Governor Amason Kingi, his administration is committed towards the achievement of quality pre-primary and vocational training education.

''We also seek to incorporate digital literacy in pre-primary schools and vocational institutions and imparting skills for self-reliance among the youth in vocational training centres, '' Kingi said.

Currently, the county has 813 public ECD centres while are 706 privately owned.

ECDE teachers

The county has employed 666 teachers in the ECD centres since the inception of devolution.

This it adds, it has done while supplying over 500 centres with furniture.

''During the first Assembly, I refused to sign Kilifi County Education Bill, 2016 and Kilifi County Childcare Facilities Bill, 2016 and referred both bills back to the Assembly with a memorandum pursuant to Section 24(2) of the County Governments Act, 2012,'' Kingi said. 

He explained that in his refusal memorandum to assent, he proposed that both the legislative proposals be combined into one law whose object will be to regulate early childhood education and childcare facilities as well as provide for registration, licensing and inspection of childcare facilities and early childhood centres in Kilifi county.

''I am aware that the first County Assembly did not finalize on these bills after returning them. I urge the county assembly, to therefore expedite the process of passing this combined bill that stipulates how the management and administrative issues concerning ECDE will be handled,'' the governor said.

He explained further that the enactment of the Ward Scholarship Fund Administration Act cushioned households from the impact of poverty by increasing access, retention and completion rates in primary, secondary and tertiary learning institutions and universities.

''My Government will endeavour to automate the Ward Scholarship Fund through the acquisition and operationalization of Management Information System to improve transparency, accountability, efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness in the administration of the fund. This will curb abuse of this fund by ill intended people,'' Kingi said.