Tvet students to begin online classes this week

Technical and vocational institutions (Tvets) are set to roll out virtual learning in September after the Covid-19 disruption. 

While some universities have largely remained on track on their education delivery, the Tvet sector has been left behind with thousands of learners unable to continue with their studies while at home.

The challenges in the Tvet sector have been attributed to lack of resources which made it difficult for many TVET providers to create the kind of distance learning systems that majority of universities have invested in over the years.

To address the challenges in the Tvet sector, the Education ministry in partnership with CAP Youth Empowerment Institute (CAPYEI), and the MasterCard have developed a Learning Management System (LMS) to provide a partial response to learning challenges affecting the sector.

CAP Youth Empowerment Institute Executive Director Ndungu Kahihu said the institute is working with Tvet institutions to roll out the programmes starting next week.

Pilot programmes

“We have already launched pilot programmes in Othaya vocational training in Nyeri and Muyeye in Kilifi, the programmes will be available starting September for all institutions,” he said.

Mr Kahihu said the system provides a platform for delivering skills training in different courses digitally.

“The LMS application runs on multiple access platforms, including on the Web as well as a mobile based Android app available on Google play store (under the name, CAPYEI LMS),” he said.

He said it is a highly flexible and scalable system that will allow various TVET training centres to access digitized curriculum, deliver training, assess, track and grade trainees and manage educational content, among other things.

It also takes care of technology challenges by allowing for content downloads and uploads when one has internet access, meaning it can be used even when access is poor or unreliable.

The LMS will also serve as a powerful technology tool for aiding TVET trainers and Training Centre Managers, enabling them to do their work better.

It will allow for the creation of courses, uploading of course materials, assessment, reporting, and analysis of learners’ performance, management of different types of users (Students, Instructors, and Managers), integration with third party tools such as SMS, school records and many others.

“So far CAPYEI has worked with the support of the MasterCard Foundation to create and upload content for ten different courses to the LMS,” he said.

Assessment materials

Some of the materials available on the platform include, recorded lectures for different trades; recorded practical demonstrations; illustrations and images, assessment materials, text reading materials, group discussion forums and tools for instructors to hold virtual meetings and webinars.

“We hope the LMS will especially open the door for the many young women who find themselves unable to learn important skills due to many factors such as the demands to juggle family care work and learning” he said.

Mr Kahihu said the institute is planning make the LMS an important tool in the new way of doing skills training in Kenya, specifically serving as a platform for blended learning that will enable TVET to function more efficiently, reaching more young people and at a lower cost.

“This will help lower the barriers to access which is experienced by many youth in remote parts of the country who can’t access good colleges to train in,” he said.

Mr Kahihu said the trainers must shift from the assumption that learning can only happen through face-to-face interaction.

Ministry of Education Chief administrative secretary in charge of the Tvet sector Zack Kinuthia said the government is keen on delivering education to the youth.

Mr Kinuthia described the application as timely, saying it solves the predicament that was facing learners in VTCs and TVET institutions whose studies had been suspended due to COVID 19 pandemic.

“Whereas primary, secondary and universities have alternative online learning, TVET institutions and VTCs do not have, therefore this online application is quite significant as it will enable our young people to continue acquiring employability skills even at this challenging moment”