Western Region Administrators Enlisted to Drive TVET Enrollment

The Kenyan government has launched a partnership with Western region national government administration officers to drive enrollment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions. This initiative aims to increase the current enrollment figure of 1.3 million learners to 2 million. The partnership was announced by State Department for TVET Principal Secretary, Esther Muoria, at a regional consultative meeting in Kakamega County.

According to Muoria, chiefs and assistant chiefs are well-positioned to reach out to the youthful population in their respective jurisdictions. She noted that these administrators know the youths by name and where they live, making them ideal for mobilization efforts. The meeting brought together Muoria's department and national government administration officers from Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia, and Bungoma counties.

Muoria emphasized that the objective of the engagement is to ensure a majority of the youthful population joins TVET institutions to acquire skills that will benefit their families, communities, and the country. She disclosed that only 20% of the over 1 million candidates who sit for national examinations annually proceed to university due to limited space. Muoria encouraged the administrators to promote TVET as a critical pathway to earning a living.

The TVET curricular has been reviewed to focus on practical skills, and modularized so that learners can be certified in three to six months and proceed to work. Muoria said the government has recruited and is still recruiting trainers in competency-based education and training and is procuring additional equipment for all TVET institutions. The government is also undertaking reforms on the funding model to enable learners to access various courses with ease.

Western Regional Commissioner Allan Machari reassured Muoria of the national government administration officers' support, saying increased enrollment is achievable. He challenged his officers to encourage young people from their jurisdictions who failed to join university to embrace technical and vocational training for skills development and employment. Machari directed the administrators to play an active role in mobilization and report regularly on progress towards enrollment targets.

Machari advised TVET institutions in the region to align their courses to priority sectors under the government's Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda, including agriculture, manufacturing, housing, healthcare, and the digital economy. He also urged the administrators to find ways of addressing barriers to enrollment, such as inadequate awareness, financial challenges, and negative attitudes towards technical training.

Shamberere National Polytechnic Principal Dr. Elisha Nyamu lauded the government for the mobilization initiative, saying it will play a critical role in enhancing enrollment in TVET institutions. He also mentioned that the government is currently working on a sustainable funding model that will ensure the retention rate of learners remains high. The partnership aims to increase enrollment and retention in TVET institutions, ultimately contributing to the country's economic growth.

Key points

• The Kenyan government aims to increase TVET enrollment from 1.3 million to 2 million learners.
• The partnership between the State Department for TVET and Western region administrators aims to mobilize youths to enroll in TVET institutions.
• The government has reviewed the TVET curricular to focus on practical skills and modularized it to allow learners to be certified in three to six months.