NAIROBI, Kenya, August 25 – The government has issued a 21-day notice to 592 Technical and Vocational Education Training institutes (TVET) operating illegally to get registered or face closure.
Higher Education Minister William Ruto said on Wednesday that currently, unscrupulous businessmen are taking advantage of Kenyans’ quest for education by establishing bogus colleges.
He said that before registration, they need to ensure that they have adequate and appropriate physical facilities and that there are qualified staff to implement the curriculum.
“It is another thing to educate people in a way that adds value to society. These are the hands-on people but unless you have the people to make things happen, you have that technician, craftsman, tailor, mechanic and artisan we are unlikely to attain vision 2030,” he stated.
He advised parents and prospective applicants to first establish whether an institution is registered and if the courses offered have been approved by the government before applying for admission.
“There is a very stringent mechanism that all these institutions are supposed to adhere to. They are supposed to be formally registered, to have an address with a lease, to make sure that they do not shift the next day,” he said.
He stressed that all institutions were expected to comply with the official registration requirements that included the institution operating as a legal entity at the physical address indicated in the application forms.
He explained that there needs to be a title deed where the institution is proposed to be established.
“There needs to be an indication of how the institution intends to link with the relevant industries for industrial attachment for trainees. “There should also be a Public Health report not more than six months old after inspection of the institution.”
Upon meeting the above requirements, the institution is awarded either provisional registration or full registration status as provided for by the Education Act Cap 211(1980).
The Higher Education Minister said that the provisional registration status is granted for 18 months only under Section 15(1) of the Act if the institution has met the minimum requirements.
He explained that the period would allow the institution to improve on any gaps that were observed during the assessment and also decide on any other future courses.
He stated that before the expiry of the 18 months, the institution is required to inform the ministry of its readiness for full registration.
“The institution is re-assessed to ensure that any gaps observed during the first assessment have been addressed,” he stated.
The minister said that the ministry has established a fully fledged directorate responsible for accreditation and quality assurance of the TVET institutions.
He said that the directorate will act as a pre-curser to the TVET Authority that is expected to be established under the proposed TVET Bill which will soon be tabled before Parliament.
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