When four-year-old learners in Uasin Gishu walk into their ECDE classrooms, the teachers guiding their first steps in education are now getting better equipped to handle them.
The county has
rolled out a new capacity-building project for ECDE coordinators and teachers,
in response to the sector’s rapid expansion with more than 46,000 learners
enrolled.
The initiative, launched in partnership with the Education Empowerment for Rural and Urban Slums Initiative (EERUi), seeks to sharpen skills, improve supervision and introduce modern approaches such as positive discipline and play-based learning.
Governor Jonathan Bii’s administration hosted the first of a series of training forums, signalling a long-term commitment to strengthening ECDE.
County director for education Peter Ruto praised EERUi for its dedication to improving education standards.
He emphasised the critical role of ECDE coordinators, saying they provide leadership and supervision at the grassroots level and must be well-equipped to train and mentor teachers.
“By equipping coordinators with knowledge and practical strategies, we are building a team of master trainers who will cascade the skills to all teachers and caregivers,” Ruto said, reaffirming the county’s focus on policies that prioritise quality ECDE.
EERUi CEO Simon Wamu described the training as the fulfilment of a long-held dream to professionalise ECDE at the community level. “We started with positive discipline to help them handle children and colleagues better, then moved to play-based learning to nurture creativity,” he said.
He said the three-year partnership with the county will focus on equipping staff with modern-day skills while advocating more resources for ECDE centres.
