RIGHTS FROM THE START: EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION IS NOW!

Dates: 22nd to 28th April 2012

The event to mark the Global Action Week (GAW) was held at St. Catherine Primary School in South B on the 25th April 2012. Among the guests who attended were representatives from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), UNESCO, UNICEF, and Elimu Yetu Coalition partners. Other education stakeholders as well as, school going children and members of the public also attended the event. The theme focused on Early Childhood Care and Education Now and in the speeches, education was said to be a break through strategy that is important in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals.  It was noted that education is a powerful force in bridging discrimination and inequality in the society. Furthermore, despite the efforts made by KNUT in ensuring that each constituency had employed twenty ECD teachers, it is still evident that Kenya is still far to go in tackling inequality in regard to Early Childhood Education. Ms. Jane Mbagi-Mutua, a WERK member and a representative from UNICEF likened early Childhood Education to the foundation of a building. She stated that the foundation would determine how far a building could go.  She emphasized on good nutrition for the children and a conducive environment that would help the children develop to their full potential.

With the leadership of Fayel Achieng from Kenya Association of Intellectually Handicapped, a group of intellectually challenged actors called ‘Self Advocates’ played a skit that depicted the discrimination and challenges of an intellectually challenged child in the society. The same was echoed by two parents of physically challenged children who shared their experiences on their day to day lives. They talked of the many problems the children face in school ranging from lack of learning materials to unfair treatments from teachers and other children.  The chief guest Ms. Ann Ngugi a famous TV anchor shared the same sentiments as she is also a parent of a physically challenged child. She emphasized that the first step to take as a parent of such a child is always to accept the condition of the child and not to blame it on witchcraft. She added that as a society we need not to be ashamed of disability since it is not inability and that everybody had a right to quality education no matter the condition.

In conclusion quality child care and education was said to be important in the early years of a child which he or she acquire language and comprehension skills. These early years are of extreme vulnerability that calls for global action. The time to invest in Early Childhood Education is Now!