Audit unearths stinking malpractices in Nyamira institutions

A committee appointed by Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo to look into the status of all the 43 Vocational Training Centres (VTC) in the county has exposed the dire status of the institutions.

In the report handed to Nyaribo last week, the committee said that most VTCs in Nyamira county face more challenges than achievements adding that the level of intervention and attention required to revive them is critical.

Despite most of the institutions having the necessary utilities for learning including electricity, and water installed and basic training equipment, the committee which was appointed in November found out the training facilities including ICT and other provisions were inadequate and poorly managed.

Not registered

In what could further be ailing learning in Nyamira’s tertiary institutions, the committee reported that the courses they were offering are not registered with relevant authorities neither was there any evidence of training licenses issued as they were not displayed.

“Most of the courses offered were relevant to industry demand and a few VTCs had embraced the strategy on linkages with industry. However, most managers and instructors are not accredited with appropriate authorities while others are working under expired contracts,” the committee report reads in part stating that effective marketing strategies are barely embraced.

A number of the training colleges had poor management of critical data while others continued to experience low enrollment, lacked examination analysis and had significant weaknesses in each area of evaluation.

It adds: “A number of VTCs have defective and inefficient leadership and governance framework. All the VTCs are not duly registered, have their certifications expired and some managed by unauthorized persons. Rampant absenteeism, unmanned gates, lack of signposts, specific term dates, the organization structure, career progression and failure to conduct BOM (Board of Management) induction meetings were among the gaps noted.”

Average enrolment

The report explained that some VTCs posted average enrolment in some courses while others had embraced marketing strategies including general ambience and there was also evidence of local leadership engagement in discussing the revitalisation of the VTCs.

Several VTCs, the report revealed, are sitting on less than the recommended size of land and without title deeds causing some of them to struggle to comply with President William Ruto’s directive to plant trees due to their limited open spaces.

The committee recommended that Nyamira county government must invest heavily in the sector to mainstream vocational training education and training.

It further proposed that Nyaribo’s administration should ensure that the recommended VTCs for county support comply with the provisions of the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Act 2013 especially on registration of the centres, and trainers and offer programmes in line with the recommended training licenses.

According to the report, the county should develop guidelines for the appointment of managers and posting of instructors to include minimum criteria for managers which entails a certificate in pedagogy from a recognized institution lasting not less than three months and a minimum of four years’ continuous post qualification experience, two of which must have been at the level of VTC instructor. They must also be registered with Technical and Vocational Education Training Authority (TVETA).