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{
"id": 1562742,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1562742/?format=api",
"text_counter": 181,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Julius Migos Ogamba",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Education",
"speaker": null,
"content": "On the question of the technical college in Isiolo and Garbatula, as I indicated, we have students who need to join these colleges. So, it is the Ministry's priority to ensure that these colleges that are already done are completed and students admitted to them. We needed them because we have more students in that subsector. To that extent, we have made a requisition for resources to complete the incomplete institutions, so that they can admit students and ensure that all the ones that are coming up, the 52 others that are remaining, are also done and completed to ensure that we can absorb these students. We estimate that if we have all these institutions operating, the TVET sector can absorb up to two million students, and that is our target in the next two or three years. That is what we are working towards. So, we will take that into account and ensure that those colleges that are incomplete, including the one in Isiolo, are completed, equipped and operationalized. For example, in terms of equipment, if you go to any Government Ministry, you will find a lot of obsolete vehicles and equipment that are thrown all over, that are normally sold for nothing. We have done a paper to allow us, as the TVET sector, to take all those vehicles and other obsolete equipment from hospitals and spread them across our institutions so that they can be used for learning. That way, we will have equipment at an affordable cost in a number of our institutions. So, we are trying to come up with programmes to ensure that even as we are hiring or we are getting other equipment, what we have is also utilized. On the question of whether we supervise TVCs, yes, we do, in terms of policy and standardization of programmes. That is done under the TVET department because they are supposed to be aligned. I think I answered that in the very first question relating to what the TVCs and TVET do. The programmes and policies are done by us. So, if it is not being done, we will ask our original director for TVET to ensure that he is hands-on in that area so that we keep to the standards. To Sen. Karungo’s question, we have not done a projection for five years and that is a very welcome recommendation. I have asked the TSC team that is here to undertake that exercise. It is better for planning. It helps us to predict. It also helps us to find out which subject areas we need more teachers for, so that we can plan our lives and our programmes better. So, it is a welcome suggestion and we have taken it into account. I thank you, Sen. Karungo Thang’wa. To Sen. (Prof.) Kamar’s question, they are indeed supposed to prioritize those who graduated earlier. However, up to date, that has not worked because wherever you go, you would find somebody who tells you, I graduated 25 years ago and I have not been employed. What we are grappling with currently is to see whether we can come up with a policy where we will have affirmative action. Where we are, as you correctly suggest, we mop up the older ones who graduated and give them jobs, even without taking them through those many particular criteria. We can spread whatever spaces that is available once or twice in the next one or two years, so that we can mop all of them out and we stop this cry we have. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}