State advised to enforce Tivet Act

By CHARLES NGENO

The government has been asked to speed up the implementation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tivet) Act.

The secretary in charge of tertiary institutions in the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Sammy Chelanga said the Act recognises the importance of developing the necessary workforce with the skills needed for national development.

Chelanga said once implemented the Act will give trainers at tertiary institutions authority to cater for their own welfare. He accused the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of failing to put in place a directorate to handle issues affecting teachers at tertiary institutions.

“TSC has continued to treat trainers as untrained just because some have trained in other professions. These teachers should be treated well because they are important in the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals,” he said.

He added that Kuppet has teamed up with the Kenya Association of Technical Training Institute to fight for the rights of trainers.

What law says

“The Tivet Act calls for the establishment of a director and a directorate of Tivet. It proposes the establishment of technical, industrial, vocational and entrepreneurship authority that will oversee issues of accreditation, registration, licensing and quality standards for Tivet institutions among other functions. The authority shall operate as an autonomous government agency,” said Chelanga, who added that the Act also provides for disciplining of students, teaching and non-teaching staff in Tivet institutions.

He said the law puts in place a well co-ordinated sector that will ensure quality skills development and benchmarking against the best practices in the world. He added that the Act demands world class training for tutors.