The Ministry of Education has offered a reprieve to the more than 500,000 2017 KCSE candidates who missed admission to tertiary institutions by ensuring they are enrolled in post-secondary education programs.
In this year’s intake by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, of the total number of 615,772 2017 KCSE candidates only 100,096 were admitted to universities and colleges with the Technical Vocational Educational and training institutions (TVET) registered 28,886.Speaking during the launch of 2018-2022 TVET strategic plan, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said over the years a similar number of candidates had always missed out on tertiary institutions admission leaving more than a million eligible workers in Kenyans unskilled and unemployed.
“From this year’s form one admission more than 400,000 candidates failed to secure entry in Form one. The number of students joining the technical institutions is still low and this year I requested KUCPPS to admit the remaining candidates from last year’s KCSE to the technical and vocational institution and they have agreed,” the CS said.
The Cabinet Secretary challenged those involved in the development of the TVET institutions to ensure a world-class workforce by launching a campaign that would ensure the youths in the country are able to receive skills through the institutions.
Mohamed said technical and vocational education training was not only a tool for poverty eradication worldwide but also offers job employment through entrepreneurship to the 84 percent of unemployed youths in the country.
The CS termed TVET institutions as innovation and creative centers and further said they are a key drive towards the country’s Vision 2030 goals as well as a catalyst to the governments big four agenda. “If we are to achieve the big four agenda we have to put an emphasis on vocational institutes because unemployed youths even pose a risk to our national security. The only option we have is to invest in placing unskilled Kenyans in vocational institutions”, she said.
She further urged the youth in Kenya not to downplay the role played by vocation centers but rather view them as an alternative way to joining the university.
This article was first published on Capital News and was written by Mark Kamau.
