News Categories: Education, Research and Vocational Training

Nandi is an Agricultural County with a better part of its population greatly depending on it for their well-being. Therefore, there is a need to introduce more and better strategies of improving the sector. One of these strategies include bringing knowledge and skills closer to the farmers, strengthening research and innovation as well as enhancing professionalism this field. Koitalel Samoei University is looking forward to partnering with the county so as to achieve this.

Today the members of Koitalel Samoei University Council and representatives from the Ministry of Education visited the county to brainstorm on possible areas of collaboration, asses on the suitability and availability of resources for the establishment of Koitalel Samoei University, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Science in Kaimosi Agricultural Training Center (ATC).

According to the Principal of Koitalel Samoei University, Prof. Gideon Misoi, the University will have it’s Main Campus is Nandi-Hills and planning to have other branches in the Sub-Counties. He further added that the institution has earmarked Kaimosi ATC as potential campus with the priority of establishing Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Science there.

The team from Koitalel Samoei University led by the University Council Chairman Prof. Risly Ngala together with the County’s Departments of Education and Vocational Training; and that of Agriculture and Co-operative Development held a consultative meeting to discuss on the potentiality of Kaimosi ATC as one of it’s training centers. The team together with Julius Kiboi-, the Principal, Kaimosi ATC toured the center and assessed the training capacity as well as the availability of land and other resources.

The CECM for Education, Research and Vocational Training, Grace Sugut, affirmed that the County Government of Nandi is looking forward to partnering with Koitalel Samoei University so as to bring the training programs closer to the people.

Chief Officer for Agriculture and Co-operative Development
Mr. Wilson Lelei applauded Koitalel Samoei University for identifying the potential of Kaimosi ATC saying that it will open up better opportunities for acquisition of knowledge and skill practice leading to the improvement in Agricultural productivity in the county.

The County Government of Nandi is keen on supporting the Education sector in the county by ensuring that needy students get support through the county bursary scheme. The Department of Education and Vocational Training has embarked on an exercise to vet the would-be beneficiaries of the County Bursary Fund to ensure that only the needy and deserving applicants benefit. This process is conducted through a public participation at the ward level so as to ensure the exercise is fair and transparent.

Photo: Chepkumia ward locals during the exercise

A total of Ksh60 million has been allocated for the FY 2019/20 and the process is overseen by Sub-County Administrators of the respective Sub-Counties. The amount is to be equally shared in all the 30 wards which means each ward gets a total of Ksh2 million which will be shared in the ratio of 30:30:30:10 which 30% for Universities and colleges, 30% for Vocational Training Centres, 30% for Secondary schools and 10% for students with special needs.

In the ongoing public participation process, the locals group themselves into their respective villages to identify and agree if an applicant is deserving or not. Once the locals have settled on the beneficiaries, their names are forwarded to the officers from the Department of Education where they are verified if the details are genuine and the students in question are admitted to various institutions of learning to root out masqueraders.

Speaking during the exercise at Chepkumia Ward, the Sub-County Administrator Emgwen, Mr Cosmas Kemboi pointed out that strict guidelines have been followed in the bursary allocation process include giving orphans the first priority. People with special needs, vulnerable and those without gainful employment yet have children in school are also considered.

Photo: Emgwen Sub-County Administrator Cosmas Kemboi

After the public participation process, a committee will compile a list of beneficiaries based on the set-out criteria. The list will be displayed in public places including churches and Chiefs’ offices. This is to give the public a chance to raise objections in case any undeserving people find their way in the final list.

Once ready, the cheques shall be collected by the beneficiaries at the office of the Ward Administrator of their respective wards.

County Government of Nandi through its department of ICT & e-Government and that of Education & Vocational Training, in collaboration with Computer for schools Kenya(CFSK) has equipped all the 14 Vocational training centers with computers and is rolling out Computer literacy skills training program. This program focusses on equipping the youth countywide with the essential Computer and online skills geared towards having e-literate citizens as well as enhancing them to earn a living out of the online platforms.

The program is packaged with Google and AJIRA Digital Skills by National government’s Ministry of ICT aimed at training the youths on online skills that would enable them grab the available opportunities and work online in bid to curb unemployment.

The Six weeks Computer literacy skills training, which is examined and certified by CFSK is offered at a Subsidized cost of Ksh.2,800, whereas the Google and Ajira Digital are free. This program, whose registration is ongoing, starts its training in Kapsabet School For the Deaf, Chemundu and Cheptarit VTC in Emgwen and Chesumei Sub-Counties. Thereafter, the same program will progressively be rolled out in all other Sub-Counties.

The youths are therefore called upon to enroll into this program at the nearest Vocational Training Center and get equipped with these skills.

For more information, call Kapsabet School For the Deaf-0723882420; Chemundu VTC- 0723638171; Cheptarit VTC- 0720919005 or County Call Center – 1548.

Stakeholders’ involvement is key in the success of education especially in the implementation of Competence Based Curriculum focusing on early learning and basic education. Therefore there’s need for stakeholders to come together and dialogue for the betterment of students.

Today the county department of Education, Research and Vocational Training being one of the stakeholders, joined the Ministry of Education in the Nandi County Education Quality Dialogue under Primary Education Development project by the state department of Early Learning and Basic Education.

Ag. CECM for Education, Research and Vocational training, Jacob Tanui while speaking during the event, said that the county government is focusing on improving the environment for early learning through construction and equipping of ECDE Centres. He further called upon the National Government to work towards improving infrastructure in schools as a way of making a conducive environment for learning.

Mr Jonathan Misoi, Ag. CO for Education, also present during the dialogue pointed out the need for effective ICT integration into the education system and adequate training of teacher on ICT skills.

Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) is an important priority area for every child in Kenya. It is the foundation for igniting the child’s potential for lifelong adaptability, innovation and communication skills.

The County Government of Nandi is focused on improving the ECDE services within the county; this is through improving the infrastructure used by the ECDE children and also by taking into consideration the welfare of the teachers. There have been numerous challenges facing the sector.

In the process towards addressing these challenges, the Department of Education and Vocational Training led by the Ag. Chief Officer Jonathan Misoi and ECDE Director Samwel Biwott held a meeting with stakeholders and more than 200 ECDE teachers from Chesumei Subcounty.

Photo: ECDE teachers from Chesumei

The main agenda of the meeting was to create an open forum to highlight the issues that directly affect the teachers. ECD caregivers play an important role in building a child’s success in their first years of school. Teachers do more than facilitate arts and crafts projects throughout the day. They provide structure and help children grow in their reading and writing skills, teach science and help children understand themselves.

Speaking during the meeting Chief Officer Jonathan Misoi pointed out that caregivers help foster growth intellectually, it is just as important to help children grow in their physical abilities. The Department of Education and Vocational Training is taking a step forward to ensure that our children are given proper care while in school. There was a meeting earlier with the teachers from Emgwen subcounty and the team is looking forward to meeting teachers from the remaining 4 sub counties in Nandi.

Photo: Ag. Chief Officer Education Jonathan Misoi

Director Biwott added that ECDE lays the foundation for kids to understand what school actually is. Teachers use a variety of methods to help children grow cognitively, as well as conceptually. A positive relationship with preschool teachers can make an exponential difference in a child’s success as they continue through elementary school. He urged the teachers to use the right channel when presenting their issues and also appreciate the support and take great care of structures which are being put up by the County Government. Currently there are 60 ECD centres which have been constructed by the County Government of Nandi and more than 50 others which are to start.

Photo: ECDE Director Samwel Biwott

Trained Eye Teachers Association (TETA) chairman Kennedy Koech applauded the County government’s effort in supporting the learning in ECDE Centres across the county. He further recommended the Department of Education and Vocational Training to look into the concerns of the teachers and find possible ways to address them.

Photo: TETA Chairman Kennedy Koech

Currently, there are 4843 girls and 5022 boys enrolled for the ECDE in Chesumei Subcounty. Parents are asked to enroll their children into ECDE so as to optimize the early years of children’s lives which is the best investment we can make as a society in ensuring their future success.

In the modern societies, Information and communications technologies (ICTs) have been universally developed as inevitable tools for enhancing the quality of education by providing access to information and knowledge contents leading to improvements and innovation in teaching, learning and research.

The County Government of Nandi is in the forefront in establishing digital systems to make services proficient.  Provision of ICT knowledge helps to bridge the knowledge and digital divide between the developed and developing countries, enhance educational infrastructural development and provide educational resources for effective learning, perform library functions and provide innovative user services.

Chief Officer for ICT and E-Government Jonathan Misoi has emphasized that the County Government of Nandi is focused in equipping youths with computer literacy skill for the good of their future where every Kenyan needs to get on the digital space. He said that while addressing the media during the flagging off the last consignment of computers and network materials to the Vocational Training Centres in Nandi County.

Photo: Chief Officer ICT and E-Government Jonathan Misoi

“The 21^st century skills requires that we deliberately innovate to find ways for our youth to access and upgrade their technical skills. From next month will train our youths on 3 areas, ICT literacy skills, Ajira programme and Google digital skills. We have a target to train over 2000 youths in the next 3 months. Empowering the youth is key and we are on track to deliver on that promise. We invite our youth to visit these centres and get enrolled. We are partnering with Computer for Schools Kenya, ICT Authority and Google.” He added.

Photo: CFSK technician

Head of Public Relations in the County Government of Nandi Kipsaro Boit also pointed out that ICT programs aim at introducing young people to online work and provide them with the necessary tools, training and mentorship to enable them to work and earn a decent income on-line. This will also improve computer education through research and also increase enrolment to Vocational training centres.

Photo: Head of Public Relations Kipsaro Boit

List of Vocational Training Centres in Nandi County per the Subcounty

Aldai

1. Kipsebwo VTC
2. Serem VTC
3. Mugen VTC

Chesumei

1. Chemundu VTC
2. Cheptarit VTC
3. Kaptel VTC

Emgwen

1. Sirwa Yala VTC
2. Kaplamai VTC
3. Kapsabet School for the Deaf

Mosop

1. Kurgung VTC
2. Tangaratwet VTC

Nandi Hills

1. Sigilai VTC
2. Chepsire VTC

Tindiret

1. Meteitei VTC
2. Potopoto VTC

So far 280 computers have been supplied by the Computer for Schools Kenya. This is a well-on course that the Computer laboratories in all the 15 vocational training centres are fully equipped and functional.

The County Government of Nandi is looking forward to increasing student enrollment into the Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) which are spread throughout the county. The Department of Education and Vocational Training is putting more efforts towards achieving this through expansion of the centres, establishment of new ones and even equipping the existing ones.

The department in partnership with Computer For schools Kenya (CFSK) recently equipped computer laboratories in the VTCs across the County so as give the youth an opportunity to acquire the computer literacy skills. AJIRA Digital skills as well as Google’s soft skills training programs will be rolled out in these centres as an initiative towards empowering the youth. The Computer Laboratories will also act as an enabler in teaching all the other courses offered in these institutions.

Section of a computer Lab in Kaptel VTC.

Speaking during the assessment of the ongoing construction of Septonok VTC, the Director for Vocational Training Centers (VTCs), Daniel Rutto, said that the county government has improved the state of most VTCs and is continuously working to expand the facilities and establish new ones. This is geared towards creating more opportunities for the enrollment of more students.

The team from the department of Education and Vocational Training led by the director having visited Cheptarit, Kaptel and Chemundu VTCs,  will also be visiting all the other VTCs throughout the county.

County director in charge of VTC together with Welding and Fabrication students at Kaptel VTC.

The youths are therefore called upon to enroll into these institutions and grab the opportunities available, get skilled and increase their chances for self employment as well as having their own startups.

As a county Administration, we are keen on ensuring the welfare and capacity of the employees is taken care of considering the need for quality service provision in all the areas of service delivery.

Today the County Secretary, Dr. Francis Sang the CO Public Service, Grace Sugut together with the CO for Education and Vocational training, Daniel Sang held a consultative meeting with Officials from Trained Eye Teachers Association ( TETA) to discuss on the welfare of ECDE teachers in the county.

Having discussed the various aspects of improving the teachers welfare, the team also deliberated on the appointment of heads of ECDE stations. These heads, who are going to be in charge of both pre-primary 1 and pre-primary 2, are going to be a link between their centres and the county through Ward Education Officers.

Such initiatives will boost service delivery as governance and management is devolved down to the ECDE centres. It also allows for ease of monitoring performance to ensure the staff perform their duties as expected.

The team from TETA, led by the Chairman Kennedy Koech, Keino christopher and Esther Jepng’etich congratulated the efforts by the County Government in supporting learning in the ECDE centres. The initiative include employment of ECDE teachers and the ongoing construction of the classrooms in all the wards.

The County Government of Nandi is keen to ensure all its projects are achieved on time to create a pleasant atmosphere for its development and obligations to the public. Provision of quality, affordable and accessible early childhood education and infrastructure is a crucial pillar in the transformation agenda.

The Department of Education through the office of the acting CECM Jacob Tanui and the interim Chief Officer Jonathan Misoi has today held a consultative meeting with the Vocational Training Managers and Vocational Training Officers to touch base on the ongoing construction of 60 ECDEs centers across the county. The managers gave their updates and confirmed that most of the ECDE classes constructed are on the completion stage.

The Acting Chief Officer in Charge of Education during the consultative forum with Vocational Training Managers and Officers

“We are ready to support the Vocational Training Managers and ensure all construction materials are availed to your respective centers on time and work together to ensure the completion the ECDE centers within the stipulated time.” Said the acting Chief Officer.

The Acting CECM in Charge of Education during the consultative forum with Vocational Training Managers and Officers

The CECM urged the Vocational Training Officers together with Vocational Training Managers to work closely together with the Department to ensure the construction of the centers are well done He also added he would fully support them in any way to achieve the goals of education. The Department’s new leadership has committed to working around the clock to ensure that the projects are completed in time.