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Choose courses wisely, DP Ruto tells students

Ruto said students should ensure the course of study they undertake would enable them to find employment opportunities/DPPS

Ruto said students should ensure the course of study they undertake would enable them to find employment opportunities/DPPS

THIKA, May 4 – Deputy President William Ruto has urged students to choose their courses wisely to enable them compete effectively in the job market.

Ruto said students should ensure the course of study they undertake would enable them to find employment opportunities.

“I urge students to choose their courses wisely and which can enable them compete effectively in the job market,” said Ruto.

The Deputy President said the government will review the education system in the country with a view to ensuring the curriculum and training offered to students meet the needs of the country as envisaged in the Vision 2030.

“We are working on reforming and reviewing our curriculum so that we provide training that meets the needs of the country,” he said.

He said there was need to identify the talents of pupils at the early stages of education to enable them pursue their careers and exploit them fully.

The Deputy President expressed concern that many students undertook courses they were not familiar with simply because they wanted to have a university degree.

“We have many children at the university doing courses they don’t like because their parents just want them to have university degrees,” said Ruto.

Speaking when he laid a foundation stone for the M-PESA Foundation Academy in Thika town, Kiambu County on Monday, the Deputy President said Kenyans should not condemn millions of children without university degrees.

He said students should develop interest in technical education to provide skills and expertise needed in the development of the country.

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“We should not condemn millions of our children merely because they don’t have university degrees. We should also do away with the narratives that only people with university degrees are successful in life,” he said.

“In fact we have many successful people in this world who are without degrees and that they are the richest people in the world. One such person is Bill Gates who owns Microsoft,” added the Deputy President.

Ruto said the government was keen on the development of technical education to address the shortage of artisans, technicians and engineers in the country.

He said the Jubilee administration has used Sh3billion in the construction of 60 technical training institutes across the country adding that tendering process for construction of another 70 institutes was underway.

“We want youth who can provide the skills, energy and expertise needed in changing the country,” he said.

The Deputy President said Kenyans misunderstood him when he suggested as minister for Higher Education then that priority for funding at public universities should be given to science-based courses.

He said it has become clear that science has driven many countries economies and that there is need to borrow a leaf from such nations for success.

“When I suggested that, may people were quick to accuse me of being biased towards those taking arts subjects and yet I just wanted that as a country we should put our priorities right,” said Ruto.

He said as a nation we should identify our priorities and give more attention to areas that can help accelerate the development efforts of the country especially in the field of technology.

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M-PESA Foundation Chairman Michael Joseph said Safaricom would continue to partner with the Government in the development of education in the country.

He said M-PESA has brought sustainable change to Kenyans saying the organization will continue to invest in training of teachers to improve academic standards in the country.

“We will continue to partner with the Government especially in the field of education so as to provide thinkers and leaders who can drive the country forward,” said Joseph.

Other leaders who addressed the occasion included M-PESA Foundation Trustee Bob Collymore, Governor William Kabogo (Kiambu), MP Alice Ng’ang’a (Thika town) and Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi.

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