Lodwar – September 26th ,2025, (Public Communication and Media Relations)
County Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) stakeholders have converged to align strategies for stronger early childhood education.
The forum, facilitated by Lutheran World Federation (LWF), brought together partners seeking to strengthen coordination and deepen collaboration on key priorities.
Discussions also focused on planning the handover of 13 ECDE centres from LWF to the County Government, ensuring a seamless transition that guarantees sustainability beyond donor support.
Stakeholders also emphasized the need to safeguard quality learning especially for children with special needs, improve parental and community engagement, and uphold child protection standards across all ECDE programs in the county.
County Chief Officer for ECDE and Social Protection, Paul Lodung’a, called for the need to fast-track the Turkana County ECDE Policy to strengthen early childhood education.
He emphasized the urgent need to build the capacity of ECDE teachers and to establish a dedicated capitation fund to cover the cost of learning materials and recurrent operations in the centres.
“If we are serious about laying a strong foundation for our children, we must empower our teachers and ensure that ECDE centres are adequately resourced,” Lodunga said.
The County Director of ECDE, Ezekiel Kulal, commended LWF’s far-reaching teacher initiatives that directly strengthen ECD centres.
He flagged the rising dropout cases, stressing that child protection must remain a top priority.
LWF’s Technical Lead for Education, Baaqir Khadija, outlined the meeting’s core goals of tightening coordination on ECDE implementation, sustaining progress beyond donor cycles, and building teacher capacity.
She pressed for centralized ECD centres data management systems, seamless integration of secular and religious education, and deeper parental engagement, all underpinned by strong child protection measures.
Deputy Director for ECDE, Alice Lojuk, updated stakeholders on the ECDE Policy framework status, the readiness of Turkana ECDE Management Information System (TECDEMIS) for launch, and the rollout of Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) training for ward education officers.
These tools, she said, will anchor real-time data and drive evidence-based action.
Napetet Village Administrator, Calvin Lepoo, highlighted the critical role of administrators in driving community mobilization for ECDE enrolment, pledging on behalf of his colleagues to strengthen parental engagement and support the local rollout of ECDE programs at the village level.
Stakeholders also shared program updates, gaps in the sector, and sketched actionable plans to drive the county’s ECDE agenda forward.
