Nandi: The government will ensure all uncompleted projects within public technical and vocational education and training institutions are accomplished to accommodate the yearly growing enrollment of new students. The chairman of the Kenya National Assembly's Committee on Education, Julius Melly, during his visit in Nandi, said the government is committed to ensuring quality education is provided within public TVET institutions through the completion of unfinished projects.
According to Kenya News Agency, the National Assembly Education Committee is visiting identified TVET institutions across the country, assessing the status of ongoing and stalled projects, and engaging with the institutions' management on how they can collaborate for the success of these institutions. "We are here to ensure that the projects are completed, and if there are stalled projects, we want to look into the mechanisms put by the said institutions to ensure the ongoing works are accomplished and facilities put into use," Melly told journalists during a press briefing at Ollessos National Polytechnic after meeting the institution's management board.
Melly, who is also Tinderet Member of Parliament, insisted that the government is determined to transform all TVET institutions across the country to international standards so that qualified trainees can work globally. He emphasized that the National Assembly Education Committee is aware that the education sector is one of the government's top spenders and that maintaining admirable standards must always be prioritized.
Further, Melly promised that the Committee will investigate and provide recommendations on emerging reports that some Competence Based Education Training courses are expensive, particularly the cost of exams. "Some of the reports we heard after meeting the institution's management are about the high cost of some courses, especially the cost of doing exams, but we promise to give it needed attention," he said.
The chairman also revealed their keen interest in how TVET institutions are implementing dual training, where students' competencies progress from normal classroom work to industrial training, which involves significant practical experience. "We also want to look at modular training where we wanted the students to take a shorter time in doing their courses but not compromising the quality of their training," he added.
Tinderet MP praised the management of Ollessos National Polytechnic as one of the fastest-growing National Polytechnics in Kenya, noting an increase in student enrollment from 7,000 two years ago to approximately 11,000 now.
Other Committee Members present included Narok Women Representative Rebecca Tonkei, MP Igembe North Julius Taitumu, MP Kibra Peter Orero, Women Representative for Nyamira County Jerusha Momanyi, and Siaya Women Representative Christine Ombaka.