Manyatta MP pushes for review of TVET Act to increase funding

Manyatta Member of Parliament Gitonga Mukunji has said that he will push for review of Technical and Vocational Training Institutes (TVET) to strengthen further the institutions and increase their funding.

 

The MP said the institutions are very key to skill development and thus their feature focus on a specific occupation which are marketable in the job market.

Mukunji said that TVET institutions are major player in the economic growth of the country but without maximum support they cannot achieve much.

"Technical institutions are the game changer and a big player in the economic growth of the country. As a legislator, I will always stand for these institutions to have enough capitation so that they can run their affair of equipping our learners with skills smoothly,"Mukunji said.

Speaking during the closing ceremony for TVETs drama and film festivals at Kigari Teachers College, he said his office will support students who will pursue technical coursed in the institutions.

Skills and knowledge

The first term MP called on youth to develop interest in Technical and Vocational Institutes so that they can have an opportunity to acquire requisite skills and knowledge that land them instant employment.

On TVETs institutions facing teachers’ deficit, he called on the Teachers Service Commission to hire more and deploy them to the institutions to address the challenge.

He also urged parents not to fear taking their children to the institutions saying this may jeopardize the progress of the youth and also kill the institutions.

"The uptake of the TVET education especially here in Embu is not impressing. My call is to parents. The future of the youth is in these institutions and we should take our children there," he said.

Peter Kaume who is the Chairperson of Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutions (KATTI) in Mt Kenya West said that there was need for the government to put up enough infrastructure in TVET institution saying now they could host drama festivals or sports.

"We have no institution in technical education that has infrastructure to host events like sports and drama. We urge the government to consider coming up with proper mechanisms to address this so that we can be able to host these events by our own without depending on other institutions," said Kaume.

Several winners were awarded with trophies for their exemplary presentations they made.

STORY By BRIAN MUSYOKA