Education CS Ezekiel Machogu directs TVETs to stick to technical courses
A mechanical engineering student operates a lathe machine at Nyeri National Polytechnic in June 2021. Tvet institutions have been directed against offering humanities and other non-technical courses.
What you need to know:
- Technical colleges have been offering other courses to boost their incomes.
- Ste is keen on closing gap between training and industry needs.
The government has warned technical and vocational education and training (Tvet)institutions against offering humanities and other non-technical courses.
The institutions have been offering these courses as a means of diversifying their revenue streams.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said Tvets exist to only offer technical courses.
Speaking on Wednesday during the National TVET Conference in Nairobi, the CS cautioned the institutions to resist the temptation to venture into offering humanities and social studies courses.
“Your work is [providing] technical courses [and] not other courses,” Mr Machogu said. “Other courses can be offered elsewhere.”
The CS said the government is committed to revamping the already existing 124 Tves both in terms of resources, such as laboratories and retooling tutors.
Themed “Enhancing industry-driven skills development for youth employability”, the conference brought together Tvet institutions, public and private companies, business membership organisations, policymakers and development partners to and explore the role of industry in skills development.
According to Tvet Principal Secretary Esther Mworia, the government has embarked on reskilling tutors in cohorts as it hopes to bridge the gap between the skills passed on to students and what the various industries need.
The State, she said, has also established an industry liaison unit that will serve as a linkage between industry and training institutions. And, every Tvet institutions has been assigned a liaison officer.
This, Mr Machogu said, is vital in ensuring the disparity between training and industry skills is eliminated. .
“Liaison officers, what’s your role, what’s your job description? Each must justify,” the CS said. “Give us reports, which I want to see before the end of the year. These will help us make informed decisions.”
