The Ministry of Education Kenya has directed all technical and vocational institutions to align their fees with approved structures, warning that a countrywide inspection will begin in early May.
In a letter dated April 23, the State Department for TVET said the move is part of ongoing reforms under the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) system. Institutions have been asked to strictly follow the modular fee guidelines already set by the government.
The ministry said it will carry out a national monitoring exercise starting May 4, targeting all TVET institutions across the country.
“The purpose of the exercise is to verify institutional compliance with CBET implementation requirements, including adherence to the approved modular training fee directives,” the notice reads.
It shall apply to National Polytechnics, Technical Training Institutes, Institutions of Science and Technology and Vocational Training Centers.
Recently, Education CS Julius Ogamba has been advocating for stricter control in the sector as government attempts to regulate and harmonize training to make it more job-oriented.
The ministry cautioned training institutions not to collect fees beyond the revised model, stating that the reforms seek to bring sanity into the sector.
Meanwhile, directors of training centers have been advised to prepare some vital documents before the inspection. These documents include timetables, curriculum plans and examination schedules.
It has been further directed that the directors must offer unrestricted access to all learning facilities like classrooms and workshops to the visiting teams.
It was stated that apart from reviewing fees, the inspection process will also entail evaluating the implementation of CBET by these institutions and whether the training and assessment is conducted as expected.
It is said that the move is an attempt to improve the level of training in the institutions to produce professionals whose skills match current industrial demands.