Abstract
The involvement of devolved government in the implementation of an ECDE curriculum is critical to the academic future of preschoolers. The ECDE centers require improvement which calls for enhanced support, financial or otherwise, not only from the county government but from other stakeholders as well. In the wake of a new political dispensation that saw most of hitherto centralized functions of the national government being devolved to county governments, the implementation of ECDE curricula across Kenya too became a devolved function. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to establish the role and influence of Vihiga County government in the implementation of the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Curriculum. Gross’s Theory of Curriculum Implementation guided this study. The study applied a descriptive survey as the central design targeting ECDE teachers, ECDE curriculum implementation stakeholders, Curriculum Staff Officers, and Quality Assurance Officers in Vihiga County. Stratified random sampling was employed to raise a study sample of 20%. The questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection, but an interview schedule was used too. The study established that the devolved government plays a pivotal role in the process of ECDE curriculum implementation. Furthermore, the study found that the County government of Vihiga has registered significant success in as far as the provision of teaching and learning materials goes, but more effort is required to ensure human resource development which is key in the ECDE curriculum implementation process. Keywords : QUASO, ECDE, Curriculum Implementation, CSO, ECDE Curricula. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-28-07 Publication date: October 31 st 2020
Highlights
The important role played by the devolved systems of government in the implementation of an Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) curriculum the world over cannot be over emphasized
Omulando, and Too (2017), argue that some crucial resources required for the implementation of an ECDE curriculum by a given center might not be under the direct influence of the devolved government, but the county government might influence central stakeholder required in the implementation process
While compliance to the ECDE curriculum implementation stage is important, the findings show that both Quality Assurance Officers (QUASOs) and CSO officers visits the ECDE centers at an average of 3 times (21.4%) each year
Summary
The important role played by the devolved systems of government in the implementation of an ECDE curriculum the world over cannot be over emphasized. According to Wangila, Omulando, and Too (2017), a strong educational foundation for preschoolers and their subsequent academic achievement later in life reflects the amount of resources the government invested into the ECDE curriculum implementation process. The resources, it must be noted, are not limited to direct funding by the devolved government, and include the ability of such a government to organize the input or crucial stakeholders in the curriculum implementation process. The author warns that empowerment of such stakeholders must come second after the government’s initial involvement in laying the groundwork for necessary infrastructure required by each stakeholder to play a successful role in the implementation of the ECDE curriculum
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