Kenyan varsities accused of watering down tech courses

Dr Ha Tae Hyun is the founding principal of Mahanaim Educational Institute

NAIROBI, KENYA: Dr Ha Tae Hyun is the founding principal of Mahanaim Educational Institute, the only college sponsored by the South Korean government in Kenya to offer technical and vocational training.

South Korea supports similar learning institutions in 120 countries globally.

Dr Ha spoke to Hashtag about the importance of offering training on mindset in Kenyan learning institutions and the challenges the college faces in its efforts to bring the best of South Korea’s technical training to Kenya.

Give us a brief background to the college.

The college traces its roots to the International Youth Fellowship that was started in South Korea in 1995 to address problems of young people through global youth camps.

The camp was established in Kenya in 2007 and offered piano, Taekwondo and languages. We received our first accreditation from the Ministry of Education in 2008 to spread the gospel through short courses.

We started with 13 students but at the moment have over 1,000 students enrolled every year spread across 45 programmes.

What is the relevance of the name ‘Mahanaim’ to this college?

Our values here are anchored on the Biblical reference to the word Mahanaim, meaning God’s camp in Genesis 32. The aim of Mahanaim Educational Institute is to accomplish the will of God through our academic programmes while instilling the mindset of Christ, which encompasses service, love and compassion.

What niche has the college cut for itself?

I believe we are the only institution that offers extensive training in mindset. This is a unique way of approaching the mandate of a TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) institution, which is otherwise fixed to training of hands-on skills. We strive to train young people who have a strong mind to take up leadership roles in society and to tackle challenges that come their way.

How is the mindset course structured and is it examinable?

The course is a well-structured curriculum, complete with training materials and books. Students undergo five levels of training where the highest level is a manifestation of real happiness. We divide the students into groups where each group is entitled to two hours of training every week. And yes, the students are examined internally after every semester. Change in the students’ behaviour is closely monitored where outcomes such as a stronger heart, leadership skills and genuine happiness are looked for.

How is the training of mindset relevant?

The college has in the past admitted brilliant students who dropped out of university because of various addictions. But by going through the various classes on Mindset, they not only conquered their addictions but have gone on to graduate as outstanding professionals. In mindset training, we go beyond normal education where students are treated as products of a factory. The course is anchored on mere belief that every young person is born to be a leader and we ask ourselves questions of the life such as ‘why do we live?’ leading our hearts to solve the core of youth problems.

How relevant are students who graduate with training in taekwondo?

We don’t offer taekwondo as an isolated course and students are encouraged to take it as a sporting activity. Most students here take martial arts to an advanced level where they gain a much stronger brain. Many young people need stronger minds to tackle the challenges facing them.

What challenges do you face as a young college?

The problem we are facing, which all other middle level colleges in Kenya can identify with, is the overstepping of the mandate by universities. Even though TVET institutions in Kenya have a clear mandate of training for the technical part, most universities have also taken up the role of offering diploma courses. To beat this competition, middle level colleges have been forced to offer diploma and certificate courses at discounted prices.

What other challenges do middle-level colleges grapple with?

I feel middle-level colleges can do better with more government support. This may be as simple as making technical professions more lucrative. In South Korea, a technical lecturer gets Sh10 million a year. This is about ten times more than what is offered in Kenya for similar expertise. The two economies are different but we can at least try. In Canada, plumbers are some of the highly salaried professionals. Again, the country can improve on facilitating skills force that come from other countries. Because of tough immigration rules, people get a good training here and take the skills to other countries that are more welcoming.

What tips can Kenyan higher education practitioners adopt from that in South Korea?

In South Korea, technical training and award of diploma certificates is left to middle-level colleges. This, in our view, is the only way to ensure hands-on human resource isn’t watered down. I got my doctorate training at a top university in Kenya but when I went to South Korea looking to practice my skills, I had to go through classes again. The country must also open up to foreigners looking to invest their skills here. Just after independence, Kenya’s economy was way above that of South Korea that had refused to welcome western influence. Things turned for the better just when we accepted we had a lot to learn from foreigners. This approach has allowed us to maintain our position among the top 20 economies globally.

Has the lowering of university entry grades affected middle-level colleges?

Universities have always taken a lot from the pool of students who join tertiary institutions. At the same time, they have shunned individuals who technically qualify for university. The problem, however, is the manner in which the students are selected which emphasises on grades. I feel we need proper selection standards where secondary schools work with selection agencies to look at key strengths of the students all through secondary school. This is what helps higher education in South Korea identify who should go to university and who should be placed in a vocational training centre.

TVET graduates have been accused of lack of soft skills

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is only conducive for graduates who have a combination of technical skills and soft skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, leaderships among others. It won’t help to have technical skills if you can’t effectively communicate. Here, we have courses that nurture soft skills in students regardless of the course they pursue. We encourage them to read a lot. Every student is required to read seven books on varied topics and submit essays on them by the end of every semester. Mindset training also instills in them leadership attributes.

What is the future of technical training in Kenya?

Middle-level colleges should embrace the era of drones. Now that the government legalised the use of drones, it is expected that we are improving our training on the use of drones and Artificial Intelligence techniques.