Universities merger, revamp of technical institutes and the creation a quality assurance agency are some of the key changes expected in the education reforms report as the government pays more attention to technical education in TVETs.
The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms is expected to present its preliminary report to President William Ruto any time this month after working for six months.
Headed by Prof Raphael Munavu, it was formed on September 30 last year.
After receiving the report, laws, policies and regulations governing education will be reviewed to mirror the agenda of the government. President Ruto has repeated oft times that he was focusing on technical education as the sure ticket to creation of jobs that are giving the country a hell of time.
A detailed report that will likely run into hundreds of pages prepared after engaging the public and getting memoranda from education experts, the work covers pre-school to university programmes, including the curriculum, funding, the agencies, and quality assurance.
At a live media interview in January, Dr Ruto said he would be focusing on sciences, technical, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) studies and Kenya was already engaging various governments and agencies for collaboration to make higher education institutions STEM-ready.
Focus of the government on TVETs is all-clear with the information that all students would be getting the Sh30,000 capitation that, so far, was a preserve of institutes under the Ministry of Education.
Among others, the Cabinet recently approved the return of TVET Curriculum Development Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC) that the previous regime put on the back burner.
Last month, a Cabinet dispatch said the revamped CDACC “will anchor the development of a learner-centred, flexible, and a demand-driven and industry-led TVET curricula.” It said the council would secure competence certification as “the lynchpin” for Kenya Kwanza government’s bottom-up economic transformation plan.
The government is also pushing for recognition of prior learning (RPL) where artisans without formal qualifications are assessed for a certificate that the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) says could cost up to Sh38,000.
In an interview with ‘The Star’ newspaper in February, Alice Kande, the acting KNQA director-general, said they plan to ask the Higher Education Loans Board to fund the programme.
The country is anxiously waiting for the release of the presidential working party report to know if university fees will go up and the minimum qualification for university entry as the Kenya Universities and Colleges Placement Service keeps Form Four leaders waiting for when courses revision will start.
editor@aplain.co.ke
