By Lillian Aluanga
There is need to revamp technical and vocational training programmes if objectives of Vision 2030 are to be realised.
These are the views of experts in the education sector, who say the country’s dreams of realising its development goals will remain a mirage, if institutions that provide skilled labour are ignored.
Vision 2030 is the Government’s development blueprint, which aims to transform the country into a middle-income economy by 2030.
Once renowned for churning out skilled personnel such as electricians, welders, painters and plumbers, institutions like Mombasa Polytechnic, Kenya Polytechnic, Sigalagala, Machakos Technical, Kabete Technical and Nyeri Technical contend with inadequate funding over the years as more emphasis is placed on academic excellence geared towards university education.
Defined by industry
"For many years, the technical and vocational training programme has been out of date partly because of inappropriate policy," says Kenyatta University’s Andrew Riechi.
Dr Riechi, a lecturer in the Department of Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, however, says there has been a deliberate effort to rethink the running of these institutions since the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology was set up.
"There were policy gaps and inadequate funding prior to 2008, which made it difficult for programmes to run efficiently without effective policies to guide them," he says. Riechi says it is unfortunate to see polytechnics converted to university colleges, which has led to production of a high number of academicians, compared to those who are technically skilled.
He points to the 1970s when technical high schools absorbed those who dropped out at Class Seven, before they proceeded to national polytechnics or universities.
But with a growing perception that the institutions were for ‘failures’ and a subsequent neglect by the Government, it wasn’t long before many crumbled.
These attitudes have been linked to the introduction of the western education, which abolished indigenous African education systems and advocated vocational and technical training for Africans during the colonial era.
At independence vocational training was abolished but later re- introduced to give a chance to those left out by a gap in education and school leavers a chance to engage in gainful self-employment, particularly in the rural areas.
This led to establishment of village polytechnics in 1969, which like other vocational training institutions were beset with challenges of inadequate staff training, funding, and lack of curriculum guidelines.
"We had 18 national technical schools before introduction of 8-4-4. These institutions should be revived as ‘centres of creativity’ to encourage students to take up technical training," says Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers Secretary General Akelo Misori.
He cites other developed nations like Germany, which have well-defined vocational training programmes that last between one to three years, depending on the occupation.
In Australia vocational programmes are largely defined by industry and not government, as has been the case locally.
Former Alliance High School Principal Christopher Khaemba says technical institutes are appropriate for the skills offered, which are needed in almost every sector.
He describes the conversion of some of these institutes into universities as ‘a tragedy’ which has seen the country produce large numbers of graduates without honing skills key for industrialisation.
"These institutions are not an end in themselves because people can still find their way to higher levels of education," says Khaemba, founding dean of South Africa-based African Leadership Institute.
Vocational and technical training Institutes, he says, also provided a viable alternative for parents who cannot afford to take their children to university.
Experts say the current divergence in curricula on technical and vocational training institutes has given rise to a fragmented development, which makes it difficult for employers to determine the comparative value of qualifications.
It is also felt that there is a mismatch between the skills learnt in these institutes and those required by a globally changing market, inadequate mechanism for quality assurance and insufficient physical facilities needed for training.
Recommendations made by the Taskforce on Realignment of the Education Sector to the Constitution and Vision 2030 on vocational and technical programmes include a review of the curriculum to address emerging needs and adoption of a competency based curriculum.
