Education CS George Magoha has devised an avenue in which school dropouts and high school students who miss out on universities can use to attain diplomas and degrees.
The Ministry developed a guideline dubbed Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which will be used to assess areas learners can gain recognition for the skills and knowledge they possess.
This guideline will also cover artisans in the jua kali sector including masons, carpenters and mechanics who will be issued with certificates based on their skills if they do not have the recognised academic papers.
These certificates can be used to acquire higher education at a persons' own inconvenience as well as international jobs.
Magoha appointed former Education Assistant Minister Kilemi Mwiria to chair the Kenya National Qualifications Framework Authority (KNQA) which was tasked with overseeing the project. The board will ensure that the gap between a degree holder and an artisan is closed and both can have a chance of earning equal salaries.
KNQA was founded in 2015 but operated without a board which affected its operational ability. A new board chaired by Mwiria will be inaugurated on Wednesday, August 19 to serve for three terms.
“That certificate will be treated like any other – like that of Kenya National Examination Council or university certificate – and candidates can also use it to look for jobs outside the country or even to proceed study," KNQA Director-General Dr Juma Mukhwana stated on Tuesday, August 18.
Mukhwana added that those seeking such certificates will undergo training where they will be mentored based on their competencies.
Those applying for the certificate will part with Ksh 10,000 for the entire process. From registration to mentorship and graduation.
KNQA developed and published 10 levels of qualifications and standards for school dropouts and artisans that will act as guidelines for assessing applicants.
This new plan comes a month after Education Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Zack Kinuthia announced a crackdown on school dropouts who found their way into Technical and Vocational Training (Tvet) Institutions.
Kinuthia stated that Tvets will no longer admit school dropouts. He explained that the directive had been based on the new curriculum where compulsory education had been upgraded from Primary to Secondary education.
