[Kenya] New nursery school rules could land parents in jail

A new law proposes a Sh100,000 fine or one year in jail for parents who fail to enroll children above three years in school. The County Early Childhood Education Bill also seeks to seal all the loopholes offending parents or guardians use to avoid sending their children to school as soon as they turn three. The Bill scraps all fees, including admission fees, and entry exams for children joining public early childhood education centres. The Senate has concluded debate on the Bill, which seeks to regulate and restore order in early grade learning. If passed, the proposed law will reform nursery schools hitherto characterised by high fees, unqualified teachers and unclear education standards. The Bill proposes that persons teaching nursery pupils must be diploma holders from recognised institutions ­– unlike the current practice where they are taught by basic certificate holders and, in some cases, school drop-outs.
“The teaching staff must be registered by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and recruited as teachers or care givers by the early childhood education recruitment committee,” reads the Bill.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education will determine the teacher-to-child ratio for all education centres, in consultation with county education boards. Any staff to be entrusted with children will also be required to have a certificate of good conduct and a medical certificate confirming soundness of mind. Overall disciplinary function over all nursery school teachers will be left to TSC, who will also instill professional controls. REGISTERED AFRESH However, county governments may impose teaching standards and conditions of performance on the teachers, in addition to those enforced by TSC.County governments may also dismiss teachers for breaching any conditions of employment. The Bill proposes that every county should form an early childhood education recruitment committee to be the human resource body responsible for the hiring of nursery school teachers. If it becomes law, all nursery schools will be registered afresh based on the set standards. “Where a person or organisation who is registered to offer basic education intends to offer early childhood education, such person shall apply for re-registration to offer early childhood education in the prescribed manner,” reads the Bill. Children will be offered either of two programmes – half day or full day. The half-day programme will begin at 8am and end at noon, while full-day pupils will be in school from 8am to 3pm.
Children taking the full-day option will have the chance to rest at 2pm.
The Bill insists that the standards of education administered in private nursery schools should be equivalent to those in public nursery classes. It also bars nursery schools from hosting boarding facilities unless they are registered as childcare centres. County governments, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, will be expected to develop a secular curriculum that promotes the holistic development of children. The Bill brings to rest a simmering contention between the national and county governments on their roles in nursery school education. The Bill places the responsibility of developing and managing early learning centres on county governments, which will be responsible for the training, registration, staffing, supervision and development of personnel. 
They will also be responsible for the overall governance and management of early childhood education resources and infrastructure requirements. County executive members, in consultation with county education boards, will determine the early childhood education resource and infrastructure requirements.
source-www.standardmedia.co.ke