Hike in TVET Enrollment as Many Students Eschew Universities
Hike in TVET Enrollment as Many Students Eschew Universities. The number of students enrolling in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs has dramatically increased in recent years as more students choose not to attend universities.
Education experts assert that more students are favoring technical training over university courses.
The Standard said that numerous TVET institutes in Western Kenya demonstrate the desire of many students to gain practical skills.
Friends College Kaimosi is one TVET institution whose enrollment has doubled in just two years.
According to Michael Musuya, the college’s principal, there are currently well over 5,000 students, up from 2,000 in 2020.
Politicians and chiefs have been helpful, he said, encouraging high school graduates and other qualified people to enroll in technical programs because they are more cheap and employable than the majority of managerial degrees available in universities.
The administration of the college is now requesting that the government boost the capitation per student and promptly distribute Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) funding to students in need.
According to Musuya, the institution’s goal was to increase enrollment to over 9,000 students in order to receive the status of a national polytechnic. “Many of our trainers have unsettled salaries which curtail the smooth running of activities of the institution,” he added.
There has been an increase in enrolment at Vihiga’s technical and vocational schools, notably Sabatia and Ebukanga.
In Sabatia, there are 3,100 enrolled students this year, up from 1870 in 2021, while in Ebukanga, there are 2,010 trainees this year, up from 1000 two years ago.
The capitation scheme of the Vihiga county government covers all of the tuition expenses for students.
The institutions get a total of Sh15, 000 capitation per learner each year, which leads to an increase in enrolment across all of the vocational training institutes in Vihiga County, from 2,700 students in 2020 to 7,000 in 2023.
Every ward in the nation will house a TVET institution, according to the government’s objectives.
The strategy, which will be carried out in cooperation between counties and the federal government, would widen access to TVET instruction.
John Sunguti, the director of TVET Vihiga county, reports that there are 15 Vocational Training Centers in the county in addition to four Technical Vocational Colleges (TVC) located at the sub-county level.
As part of our efforts to meet the national standard of having a TVET institution in every area, we anticipate adding one more college to the Luanda constituency, according to Sunguti.
193 trainers are employed by the county at vocational training facilities.
To establish a National Polytechnic in every county, a Technical Vocational College in every sub-county, and a Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in every ward, according to TVET national director Tom Mulati, plans are being made to cluster TVET institutions.
During the graduation ceremony, Mulati stated, “It is our hope that each will be developed to be a centre of excellence in one or two trade areas with a focus on skills required in regions where the institute is located.”
According to Ministry of Education data, the majority of TVET institutions have received help in the form of value-added machinery to integrate training with industry.
Mulati acknowledged the difficulties that some institutions faced but said that the government had made significant progress in bringing the sector into stability.
He pointed out that the government has expanded the number of TVET institutions from 52 in 2013 to 238 at the moment in order to boost access for Kenyan youths.
According to him, the majority of institutions work to ensure that graduates have the skills necessary for self-employment and to confront the problems brought on by the rapid growth of technology, changes in educational practices, and shifts in the labor market.