By Kamundia Muriithi
Deputy President William Ruto has encouraged parents to enroll their children in technical and vocational institutions, asserting that technical courses are in high demand and the training is affordable.
Speaking after attending mass at Kairuri Catholic Church in Embu County, Ruto said the Government had invested heavily in subsidising college fees to make technical training affordable.
He said the Government plans to reduce the fee charged in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions by 50 per cent.
Currently, the Government charges technical colleges students Sh65, 000 annually which is out of reach of many students.
In addition, the Ministry of Education has increased bursary allocation to Sh30, 000 per student enrolled in technical training colleges, he pointed out.
Stating that technical college students now qualify for Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) financing of between Sh20, 000 to Sh40, 000, Ruto encouraged parents that they can take their children through TVET institutions without having to pay a cent.
The DP emphasized on the need for the nation to train a large work force as technologists, technicians, and artisans who would then drive the country towards achieving its Big Four Agenda.
“As a Government our plan is to ensure many young people train in technology courses and become competent in skills such as plumbing, electrical installations, carpentry, welding and masonry.
“There is no way we can succeed in our agro processing, manufacturing, value addition and industrialisation if we don’t have manpower with skills and competences from our technical colleges. This is why we are investing a lot in our TTCs and Tivets,” he said.
Vocational and Technical Training Principal Secretary Kevit Desai in an earlier briefing revealed Kenya has only 180,000 students in colleges yet the country has a capacity of 3.1 million.
