Why TVETs in Kenya Are Struggling and How to Fix the Mess

Over the last few years, the government and the education ministry officials have used every opportunity to sing about Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as an important driver of innovation and job creation. While that is true, the government officials have painted a considerably rosy picture of TVET, but if you ask insiders in the institutions, the reality is quite different.

Somehow the voices of staff and trainers in the institutions have been suppressed or ignored, and this has left the policy makers and administrators blind to the real issues that concern staff, work environment, leadership, and even courses delivery. The media too has largely left out the issues despite its recent much coverage of the broader TVET matters.   

It is not possible to explain all issues that revolve around trainers; therefore, in this article, I will highlight just six critical issues that I feel are hampering TVETs from realizing its key principles of quality, equity and access.

Discrimination of TVET trainers 

The first issue that sticks out like a sour thumb is poor remuneration of the majority of trainers (more than 55 percent) in TVET schools. There are two major categories of trainers – those who are employed by the government through the Public Service Commission (PSC) and those employed directly by the boards of TVET schools. The latter are referred as contract trainers (with the exception of pure part timers that come from the industry for few hours a week).

Also Read: PSC Pushes for Funds to Recruit 1,000 TVET Tutors

The contract trainers, who comprise the majority due to perennial failure by government to deploy enough trainers, are currently quite a disenchanted lot.  That is because they are made to survive on iron wages despite their valuable skills and years of experience.  

Whereas the trainers posted by the PSC — who are currently 9,351 in number — are remunerated as per normal government scales, the rest of the trainers numbering over 15,000 are paid peanuts with each institution paying its own rate.

Such trainers are contracted by boards of management (BOM’s) on what one can describe as most horrible employment terms that one can ever imagine for any professional in Kenya.

The worst part is that their contracts are normally tied to academic terms of three months and the monthly wages range between Kshs 12,000 and 30,000 per month.

I gathered from trainers in different TVET schools across different counties that most of them earn their wages only when schools are on session, that is only nine months a year while the trainers are denied salaries in April, August and December months.

For a long time, they have sought to be paid salaries during the vacations, since they remain relatively busy in marking and processing students’ assessment reports. The institution heads however blame it on lack of sufficient allocations by the government.

Currently, TVETs have enrolled 420,929 students who are distributed in about 242 TVET institutions countrywide, according to figures from the ministry of education. While many would expect that the proportionate budgetary allocation to the TVET institutions would translate to better terms for the teaching staff, this has sadly not been the case. We have trainers handling increasing class sizes while their payments remain static.

Unqualified Trainers 

The other problem is that TVETs are turning into dumping grounds for job seekers. Since one does not need a diploma or degree in education to teach in TVET, the institutions have become a free field for all.

At a time when unemployment problem is widespread in Kenya, all openings for trainers are open to virtually anybody with basic diploma or degree in the relevant area.

Due to the nature of contracts that this article has cited above, many trainers are merely fleeting in TVETs.

It is common for a first year or second year TVET student to be taught a course by a new trainer every term due to the high employment turnover, as majority of trainers come and leave in a huff for better opportunities.

This situation has disadvantaged not only the students, but also the trainers who have stayed for, say, three, five or more years.

Despite their stay, their remuneration remains like that of a new entrant from year to year. This amounts to punishing trainers who are experienced and loyal to the institutions. 

Flawed Recruitment Process

The other problem is unfairness in recruitment. It is not uncommon to hear that some principals and other senior staff in TVET institutions as well some education ministry officials at Jogoo House interfere with PSC recruitment to ensure only those they want earn the positions.

In the process, many trainers who are well qualified and experienced have been left out in PSC recruitments. Somebody will ensure they do not make to the short list for interviews.

This has forced many existing trainers to be overtaken in recruitment by newcomers within the same institutions.

A case in point is the just announced outcome of the recruitment of 2,000 TVET trainers, where some well qualified trainers applied but they were not shortlisted.

Commendably, some applied in other institutions other than those they are teaching and succeeded to secure PSC openings purely on merit.

Exploitation of trainers

Another issue affecting TVETs is overworking of trainers and sheer exploitation. In some polytechnics, trainers are forced to teach for unto 36 hours a week.

Many feel this is bound to compromise quality in Kenyan TVETs because it leaves trainers with no breathing space or opportunity to research and study more.

Many polytechnics and technical training institutions have ignored directives to optimize the teaching loads.

In some institutions, contract trainers are made to teach more lessons than that of PSC staff, an issue that is illegal under the Kenyan labour laws and practices, which otherwise provide for equal pay for equal work.

Also Read: MPs Propose New Funding Model for Universities & TVETs

Another critical issue is poor teaching. There are many trainers who are still hesitant to embrace CBET methodologies and instead sticking to conventional methods.

Majority of trainers who are recruited every term, many of whom without pedagogy background, are rarely inducted. You get the teaching job today morning and by 10 am you are in class without any orientation.

This is bound to affect quality of teaching and learning. Newly posted PSC staff are duly inducted through elaborate orientation, but contract trainers are not, yet they are the majority.   

Leadership Crisis 

Another major issue is the bad leadership. Many heads of the TVETs apply authoritarian management styles.

Staff meetings are reduced to one-way lectures by the principals. Some principals who profess being “born again” are known to use staff meetings to preach to the chagrin of many staff.

Others use the meetings to issue threats while others use the meetings to tell what property they are planning to acquire. Cases of unfairness in the distribution of special responsibilities within the school system are common. 

Reimagining TVET

These are not the only problems bedeviling TVET institutions. For this sector to realize its objectives as set out in the TVET Act 2013, the government needs to reimagine its approach by involving all stakeholders including teaching staff more actively in formulating institution and trainer-focused strategies for better TVET.

The question of staff morale for both PSC and BOM trainers is particularly critical. The calibre of those appointed to head the institutions need review.

Importantly, the ministry can have the most beautiful blueprint for TVET, as indeed it is, but achieving its objectives would be in vain unless the nitty gritty matters of staff issues, work environment, career growth and institutional leadership and governance are actively and sufficiently addressed.

Call to Ministry Officials 

Those at the ministry should not leave the TVETs quality to deteriorate the way universities had deteriorated when they were expanded exponentially 10 years ago without paying due attention to issues of quality.

Such negligence is still haunting universities. If the current issues in TVET are similarly left unaddressed at this particular time that TVET enrolment is nearly surpassing that of the universities, the otherwise noble idea would flop, leaving many stakeholders including the learners frustrated.

Many staff in TVET institutions expect that individuals in charge at the State Department of TVET are conscious of the issues mentioned.

Some still rate a former Principal Secretary Kevit Desai as one of those who demonstrated exemplary concern. He toured nearly all TVET institutions in Kenya and engaged not only staff but also students and their guardians.

Developing TVET needs hands on persons for it to be truly CBET. Those in the docket can do well by picking up the gauntlet.

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