By Wasike Elvis
The Eldoret National Polytechnic recently held its 11th Annual International Conference themed ‘Competencies in Research, Science and Innovations for Sustainable Development’.
The event brought on board national and international researchers and was graced by Principal Secretary State Department for Vocational and Technical Training Dr Margaret Mwakima who was the chief guest.
During the event, the institution launched the 10th volume of the journal where it publishes all papers referenced in the previous conferences.
Speaking during the event, the institution’s Chief Principal Charles Koech said over 84 paper presentations have been delivered at the conference, some of which are from Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
He added that the conference brings on board researchers who have looked at the semantic areas that address existing problems in society.
He added that innovation and research are among the key ingredients of equipping trainees to make a meaningful contribution to the economy.
“The demand for TVET skills is necessary for the realization of the desired economic growth. Research and innovation should directly impact mama mboga and the Jua kali sector,” said the Chief Principal.
He added that research would help address gaps in the society and improve livelihoods with a special focus in agriculture especially value chain agriculture and entrepreneurship to increase income.
He added that the institution has partnered with the University of Eldoret, Maasai Mara University and the Technical University of Mombasa among others in making sure that research provides a solution to the immediate needs of the society and the country at large.
“We are also looking at collaborations with other universities to be able to mount degree programmes which are tailored to industry requirements,” he added.
He noted that through the initiative, a number of innovative ideas have been operationalized and some are commercialized and well-received in the market.
“We are also working closely with the Juakali sector in the provision of Recognition of Prior Learning as a way of providing certification for the entrepreneurs who may not have gone through the formal system of education,” Mr. Koech added.
He appreciated the institution’s Governing Council for supporting research activities by allocating funds for research as a way of fulfilling the institution’s mandate.
He reiterated that the institution has registered tremendous growth in its student population to the current 17,000.
The Chief Principal added that the institution has taken measures to expand its facilities to cater for the increasing student population.
“We have expanded the tuition block by constructing eleven classrooms. We also have plans to construct a Ksh 350 million ultra-modern library and the Ministry of Education is committed to support us financially,” he proudly stated.
He went on to add that the institution has a proposal to expand the tuition block.
He thanked the Public Service Commission for deploying trainers to the institution and reiterated their commitment to serve their clients and exceed their expectations.
The Chief Principal noted that the institution has state of the art facilities which include over 12 engineering workshops.
The institution, which has two campuses, offers courses in 12 academic departments.
Some of the courses offered include Building and Construction, Civil Engineering, ICT, Business courses, Mechanical Engineering (plant and production), Electric Engineering and Telecommunications Engineering among others.
Dr Mwakima stated that one of the conference’s thematic areas of interest is innovation and technology for agriculture as issues like global warming and climate change have affected the sector.
She added that the conference is necessary to enable different stakeholders come up with innovative ways that provide adaptations and resilience.
She added that the world is facing different global challenges that need both scientific and technical advancements to curb hence the need of the conference.
“We are at a dispensation where we are faced with global challenges like climate change, water scarcity and soil infertility among others hence the need to look for solutions that ensure we have food security and are industrialized,” she added.
The PS encouraged farmers to accept and practice Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) as part of the solutions to curb food shortage and further assured that that there are standardization procedures to ensure the safety of the GMOs before they enter the market.
“The solution to ensure that we are able to get to resilience and adaptability as far as agriculture and food security is concerned. This is about technology and research and is about offering solutions for our country to be food secure.” Rallied Dr. Mwakima.
Mr. Tom Mulati, Director TVET, said the theme of the conference seeks to address research issues for sustainable development which is only possible in a country where research and science is respected.
He added that TVET institutions have the obligation of exposing both the staff and trainees to a culture of research and innovation by capacity building on a legal framework that supports aspects of research and innovation.
