NAIROBI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation with China is helping Kenya accelerate Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reforms and build the skilled workforce its industrialization needs, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Migos Ogamba has said.
Kenya aims to deepen its TVET cooperation with China further, Ogamba told Xinhua in a recent interview. The two countries have cooperated in the sector for years, with Chinese-supplied equipment now installed in most Kenyan TVET institutions, he said.
The cooperation goes beyond equipment supply to include technology transfer, he said, noting that after equipment is delivered, China provides targeted operation training for Kenyan technicians.
China has also partnered with some Kenyan institutions to build model centers for training, production and innovation, opening opportunities for students from other institutions to join exchange programs and work with Chinese technology, Ogamba said.
With that support, Kenya is now producing more graduates with professional skills, he said, adding that the government is committed to continuing the partnership "because it has borne fruit."
Drawing on the first three phases, Kenya has discussed a possible fourth phase of cooperation with China, hoping to widen coverage and standardize the equipment, Ogamba said.
TVET is now central to Kenya's industrialization, which cannot be achieved without workers who combine professional knowledge, technical skills and practical ability, Ogamba said. Kenya does not need to start from scratch, but can draw on China's experience and existing technologies to move faster, he added.
"In fact, I know that China has, for example, scrapped some programs that are not market-needed," he said.
Kenya must study what skills the market requires, adjust its curricula accordingly and build a more flexible system, he said.
With the rise of artificial intelligence and other advances, some equipment could become obsolete quickly and costly to replace, making it important to work with China and other countries to raise TVET standards at an affordable cost, according to Ogamba.
Ogamba said some Kenyans still regard TVET as "a second-rate program that people go to because they've not made it to the university."
"We want to remove that stigma, and let people undertake it by choice," he said.
Ogamba said he looked forward to the World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference in Tianjin, China, as a chance to share experience with other countries and learn from those with mature systems, adding that the current period is vital for deepening and expanding TVET cooperation with China. ■