Vihiga County splurge Sh139 million for construction of ECDE centres and County polytechnics

Gavudia County Polytechnic constructed and equipped by the county government of Vihiga. PHOTO: BENJAMIN SAKWA/STANDARD

KENYA: Vihiga County Government has disbursed Sh139 million to Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres and polytechnics.

The ECDE centres, largely for pre-schoolers, and polytechnics have also been provided with modern equipment.

Nine village polytechnics offering technical training for youth have also been upgraded to county polytechnics. Each village polytechnic was allocated Sh2 million for renovation and expansion.

The county government has for the last two years constructed modern county polytechnics as centres of excellence in all five wards and equipped them with modern facilities.

Thirty ECDE centres that promote early childhood education were constructed at a cost of Sh39  million, Vihiga Governor Moses Akaranga said.

“We need to provide a conducive learning environment to our children and that is why the county has built modern ECDE centres. We have also hired teachers who will teach children in these centres,” he added.

Acquire technical skills

The county executive member in charge of Education, Musalia Edebe, gave a breakdown of some of the new facilities. “We have constructed 30 modern ECDE centres and target to construct at least 78 more to boost education in the county. Each of the 25 wards should have a modern ECDE centre,” said Prof Edebe.

In the last two years, the county government has hired 747 ECDE teachers, he noted.

“We intend to give our children the best foundation in education,” Prof Edebe said.

He spoke after the governor encouraged the youth to seize the opportunity presented by the county.

Mr Akaranga said the county government was keen to boost the technical capacity of workers and urged youths to enrol in the polytechnics. 

“The  funds allocated by my government are more than enough to upgrade village polytechnics and meet the needs of learners.  Youths should join these polytechnics to acquire technical skills especially when they want to be self-employed,” said Mr Akaranga.

The polytechnics will absorb those youths who do not qualify for secondary schools or universities.

Those who join the polytechnics will have their fees paid by the county government so that their studies are uninterrupted.

“We want more youths to join county polytechnics and acquire skills that will reduce dependence,” Akaranga said.

Those who have been trained can access seed capital to start businesses from the county government.

“We have limited white collar jobs and we are encouraging our youth to join polytechnics to acquire technical skills,” Akaranga said.

The institutions will also be provided with state-of-the-art equipment to boost the quality of instruction.

The county has upgraded village polytechnics and hired 87 instructors. It will pay fees for students who have joined these institutions. 

The county government is currently in discussions with foreign investors, especially from China, to partner with technical institutes to boost training.