Text Book Centre (TBC) will supply Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDE) in Makueni County with books and other learning materials through book donation drives amounting to Sh 105 million in the next three months.

Director TBC Chetan Rugani says the programme will ensure the children in the ECDE centres across the county are well equipped with learning materials hence access quality education from an early age.

Speaking to the press in Makueni on Friday, Mr Rugani said his organisation will act as a collection centre for corporate and individual donors through the branch network besides providing logistical support during the period.

‘As TBC we are proud to help in advancing the sustainable goal which is quality education. Education policymakers in developing countries, in recent years, have been focusing on rapid growth of the education system at the primary level and are now advancing similar gains in the ECDE subsector,’ Rugani said.

‘The policymakers have demanded for increased ECDE provision as
per the accepted international commitments toward expanding and improving ECDE centres, as articulated in the sustainable development goal that calls for increased access to quality early childhood education for all children by 2030,’ he added.

Earlier the director signed a partnership agreement with Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr in his office where they sealed the book donation drive on Friday.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo appreciated the initiative saying that the 40000 learners at 1,191 ECDEs will be equipped with books and other learning materials saying at least each child will have something to read.

Mutula said that most of the ECDE centres are poorly equipped because of rampant poverty afflicting their parents across the county as they would not meet the needs of their children even in terms of feeding them.

While saying it is the responsibility of the county governments to know what is needed in the ECDE centres, he added that poverty will only end when programmes like this are initiated.

‘Through this
programme, we expect our children will get a book to read even at home. My expectation is that every child will get a book to read wherever they will be in the county,’ said Mutula Jnr.

‘Those who constituted the constitution knew why they said the ECDE should be in the county government. The county governments should know what is needed by children in ECDE centres. Fighting poverty will not end with constructing classrooms or development plans. Ending poverty will only be possible when we start such kind of education,’ posed the governor.

Present at the function included Department of Education, ICT and Internship Elizabeth Muli among other county officials.

Source: Kenya News Agency