Students in technical colleges will no longer wear graduation gowns during their big day.
Education PS in charge of TVETs Esther Muoria has directed all institutions to stop using the usual black gowns and instead have students graduate in clothes related to what they studied.
Speaking on Friday, Muoria said the new move is meant to show the kind of skills students have gained.
This means mechanics will graduate in overalls, chefs in their cooking uniforms, and others in outfits that match their courses.
She said the black gowns have always been used in universities and do not really fit technical training.
“The gowns are meant for academic courses, while TVET is for skills,” she stated, noting that the decision would assist people in identifying which field the graduate specializes in easily.
These instructions were issued by Muoria while addressing the graduation ceremony of Nyeri National Polytechnic.
The government has further decided to enhance the quality of training in these colleges apart from implementing the new dress code.
“More equipment and more trainers will be employed in line with the increasing number of students,” Muoria explained.
There has been an alarming increase in the number of students in TVET institutions from around 350,000 last year to almost 850,000 today.
This year, the government is planning to hire around 1,000 trainers in order to cater to this increasing number of students.
This decision will bring more practicality to TVET training programs and make graduates more identifiable in their respective fields.
