The head of delegation of senior government officials from Malawi who have been in the country for a benchmarking mission in the TVET sector has today lauded TVET Authority (TVETA) and other State agencies for the warm reception and helpful information they have gathered in the past two days.
Speaking at the TVETA offices during the closing ceremony for their visit, Director of Technical and Vocational Training Aubrey Diverson Matemba said that there visit has been an eye opener and changing moment for the TVET sector in their country.
“We have learned a lot in the past two days and we sincerely thank TVET Authority for making this possible, especially by inviting and coordinating all the government agencies in the TVET sector to meet us and avail information about their operations. We are also delighted with the way you have hosted us and hospitality you have extended to the team, from the food, transport and everything. We value everything you have done for us,” Matemba said.
The Director revealed that his team had selected and wrote to a number of countries in Africa where they had intended to carry out the mission but only Kenya responded to their request.
“We don’t take this for granted that you are the only country from among the ones we selected that accepted to host us. We are equally happy and excited that you have been of great value to us.”
“We are going back our country after learning a lot which we are going to propose so that we can improve our TVET system to be at your level,” said.
The head of delegation said that one of the things they have picked from Kenya is how the government has managed to decentralise various mandates to different agencies like TVETA, TVET-CDACC, KNQA, and others. In their country the sector is under the ministry of Education and Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA).
“Decentralising operations is a good thing because it brings about accountability and transparency. It is also easy to monitor and increase efficiency,” the head of delegation observed.
While bidding the team farewell, TVETA Senior Research and Development Officer Dr Dominic Omboto thanked the delegation for picking Kenya as the destination for their mission. Dr Omboto observed that while Kenyan model is not perfect, the country has initiated a number of reforms in the past few years that are geared to making the TVET sector respond to the needs and aspirations of the people of Kenya.
“We are also looking forward to visit your country in the near future to not only see the progress you have made, but to also learn a few things from you because no person or country is perfect,” Dr Omboto said.
During the two days, the delegation interacted with nine different agencies who made presentations on their mandate and operations. These include TVETA, National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), and TVET Curriculum Development and Assessment Certification Council (CDACC).
Others who meet the team are Kenya National Qualification Authority (KNQA), Kenya Engineering Technology Registration Board (KETRB), Kenya Universities and Colleges. The Director of Technical Education (DTE) and Director of Vocational Education and Training (DVET) also gave a presentation on an overview on the management and governance of TVET institutions – the role of National and County governments.
