By Erick Nyayiera
Rarieda Technical and Vocational College has begun training in earnest after the institution was officially handed over to the government.
The handing over was presided by the area Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Otiende Amollo who oversaw the establishment of the technical institute to bring technical education closer to local residents who travelled long distances in search for the same.
Speaking during the hand-over ceremony, Hon. Otiende Amollo disclosed that he requested establishment of the Institute after realizing that Rarieda Constituency had 128 public primary schools, 48 secondary schools and a sporadic spread of village polytechnics but lacked a single tertiary institution.
“Until 2017, we didn’t have any tertiary institution in Rarieda Constituency. I began the process of identifying a suitable place and convinced the Mahaya community to donate 5 acres of land which the TVC now sits on,” said the MP.
Rarieda TVC has been constructed by the support of the area NG-CDF which gave seed money to a tune of Ksh. 10 million and the national government funding to the tune of Ksh. 46 million.
The Constituency NG-CDF has also done the fencing for security purposes including putting up a security gate at a cost of Ksh. 4.5 million.
“As Rarieda NG-CDF we have already put aside Ksh. 1 million for the first 50 enrolments who will only have to pay as little as 6,000 shillings but the rest who don’t come quickly will also benefit from the bursary, although at normal rates. In addition, the County government will add to the support through bursary,” he stated.
The TVC offers various Diploma, Certificate and Artisan courses including; Diploma in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Building Technology, Civil Engineering, Catering and Accommodation, Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, Business Management, Social Work and Community Development and Agriculture among other courses.
Otiende, an ardent champion of tertiary education, observed that technical training is the key to unlocking the great economic potential of any country.
“Whereas University education is overrated, technical skills acquisition has the advantage of making our youths earn a living and create economic ventures where they are able to employ others,” he said.
He added: “If you go to a technical institute and learn basic engineering, plumbing or any other marketable technical courses, you will earn more than a graduate. This is to mean that we are vouching for University education but most importantly for those who can’t make it, they have an alternative path to advance and make the most of the opportunity.”
“If you cannot enroll for Diploma, you can enroll for Certificate and if not, you can begin from the Artisan level and make your way to as far as you can. All these are relevant courses to make one attain self-reliance and create jobs for others,” he said.
The MP urged the national government to make good its promise to establish a TVET in each Constituency and to supplement the tuition fees of each trainee.
Founding Principal Engineer Lynda Ayuku (formerly of Kisumu National Polytechnic) encouraged the locals to consider putting up rental hostel facilities that will host the trainees and trainers and allied facilities that befits the status of the national institute.
She also appealed to youths in the community neighbouring the school to hasten and take advantage and enroll in large numbers before students from other distant areas exhaust the admissions.
“We are already receiving a good number of applications for admissions and registration for the inaugural intake is in the process,“ she pointed out.
Siaya County Director of TVET Joseph Sunguti exuded confidence that the institution will go a long way in opening the remote area for real time development.
“As a government, we pledge our total support to the institution and we are determined to see it take off and become among the premier TVET institutes in Kenya.” Stated Sunguti.
