Education in Africa: Reflections beyond 2015 MDGs-comparative perspectives

Abstract

After a period of neglect, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is now firmly on the agenda of governments around the world. Youth unemployment, social exclusion and poverty have led many decision - makers to refocus their attention on providing skills development opportunities that respond to evolving social and economic demands. Far from being the weakest link in education systems, TVET is emerging as a cornerstone for the transformation of education and training . A growin g body of recent publications in industrialized countries such as German and South Korea increasingly emphasize the importance of TVET , which has responded to y outh unemployment, poverty and now many people can access learning institutions , but this is not true with developing countries . This paper will review the status of TVET in Kenya in respect to policy and legal framework as well as examine the challenges facing TVET and make recommendation for strengthening TVET . The data shall be enriched with data from a recent Survey from Kisii County . The findings show that there are many challenges facing TVET in Kisii County , these include: dilapidated nature of TVET institutions, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate tools and equipments, and poor implementatio n of curriculum . There are concerns that the ongoing Government efforts to revamp the youth polytechnics have not been fully appreciated by stakeholders due to limited understanding of the role of vocational training in the development of the County.