Ms. Mary Simiyu brandishing her models at home in Mautuma Ward, Lugari Sub-County/Tom Lutali, WKT
An Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teacher from Lugari Sub-County has shared her plight after being unable to secure employment for two decades despite having all the skills required for implementing the recently launched Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
The teacher, Mary Simiyu, from Mlimani in Mautuma Ward, said she has amassed enough experience for all those years by teaching in kindergarten schools under churches, private organizations, and even public institutions.
Her contribution is notable in imparting knowledge in young children at St. Kizito Primary School and Ivona Primary School in her area.
“I have a diploma in the ECDE program. In 2019, I went to train for the CBC in Kakamega, and adding on my vast experience, I am well trained, but I have never found employment,” Ms. Simiyu told the Western Kenya Times.
To prove a point, the teacher showed the Western Kenya Times reporter who visited her at her home some of the impressive materials she has made that can be used for learning to enhance CBC.
She has collected banana fibers for making shopping baskets and papyrus reeds for brooms, crafted models for marketing and environmental lessons, and assembled clay soil for making cups, plates, and pots, among other things.
For language lessons, she has made models for sounds and letters, and in mathematics, she has made models representing numbers.
This is an endeavor that she has been depending on for a living after failing to grab an opportunity in the field of education.
Madam Mary said she is still passionate about working as a teacher and would not hesitate if any opportunity arose, whether in the public or private sector.
Hers has been a life of struggles, and apart from practicing her craft, she is forced to work in other people’s farms as a casual to make ends meet.
“It is painful that I have papers but have not been employed, more so for 20 years. I would like to meet experts such as material developers from Kakamega County and show them that I am a great asset in implementing the Competency Based Curriculum,” she said.
Mary’s creativity and resourcefulness are a testament to her passion for teaching and dedication to her craft.
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