Principal Secretary for Education said that over 600,000 students who attained grades of C and below in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), will be joining the Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutions across the country.
Speaking at the Machakos Technical Institute for the Blind in Machakos town, Principal Secretary for TVET Ministry of Education Dr. Margaret Mwakima said that they are reforming TVET and are ready to enroll and admit all those who have grade C and below to various colleges.
“We are reforming TVET through our curriculum, assessment and placement to make them a pathway for education and among those we are admitting from the statistics that we have is over 600,000, which is 70 per cent who have grade C and below,” said Dr. Mwakima.
Dr. Mwakima said they are appraising the kind of facilities, equipment and programs that are provided for the special needs children and how it will help in developing their skills to contribute in the social economic development in the country.
“We need to know whether the equipment we have invested in these institutions are realizing the needs for the youth, to be able to gainfully contribute to the social economic development, as well as the Big 4 Agenda and their own livelihoods,” added Dr. Mwakima.
Dr. Mwakima said School Principals were agreeable on some of the reforms they need to bring into place such as improving infrastructure so that the special needs children will have access to various laboratories, devices and equipment that are required to improve their skills.
Earlier in June, Dr. Mwakima spoke in Eldoret at a Research Conference where she said that Technical colleges have recorded a 400 per cent increase in enrollment since 2013 due to increased government support and expansion of facilities in all the institutions in the country.
The PS added that financing through Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and Sh 30,000 allocated by the government to support each student, has contributed to rising enrollment while development partners have also played a role in equipping technical colleges to enhance training capacity.
By Ann Kangero
