Ministry to upgrade 253 technical training colleges

By FRANCIS KOECH

Kenya: The Government has announced plans to upgrade 253 technical training institutions in a bid to enhance tertiary education enrollment.

The Ministry of Education Science and Technology Principal Secretary Collete Suda said more focus would be directed to the development of tertiary institutions to allow students who do not get university admission continue with education.

“These institutions are vital as far as achieving Vision 2030 is concerned. They will allow students who don’t meet cut off points to join universities get a chance to advance to the higher learning institutions later,” she said.

Prof Suda also said these institutions would not be converted to universities in future to held bridge the skilled labour deficit.

She asked the institutions’ administrators to furnish the ministry with a proper plan on how they want their programmes undertaken to allow easy policy formulation.

“There is also need for these institutions to acquire modern equipment to be at par with other developed colleges across the world so that they can proceed smoothly whenever they sign an agreement to offer training in partnership,” said Suda.

Suda urged the institutions to collaborate with the private sector by entering partnership s with industries that will help bridge the gap between theoretical training and actual job practice. Suda was speaking in Eldoret after inspecting facilities, programmess and ongoing infrastructure projects at Eldoret polytechnic, Rift Valley technical Training Institute and Kipkabos in Uasin Gishu County. Josephat Sawe, Eldoret Polytechnic Principals admitted that most tertiary institutions are still relying on old equipment.