A short video on Instagram recently showcased Chinese children engaging in various activities, from sewing to roasting maize, and it impressed many Kenyans. This highlights how China’s education system emphasizes practical skills, equipping students with market-relevant abilities. This is a justification for why Kenyans should embrace a technical education concept.
China, the most populous country in the world with 1.4 billion people, designed an education system focused on skills rather than just theoretical knowledge, tailored to address its unemployment challenges. This approach ensures that graduates do not solely rely on employment from the government or private companies but instead use the skills they learned in school to create their own employment opportunities.
At the conclusion of the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China pledged that over the next three years, China will provide about 60,000 training opportunities to Africans, mainly to women and young people. The transfer of these skills will be useful in developing the continent in terms of economy.
At the same time, Chinese Education Minister Huai Jinpeng disclosed that China is willing to work together with Africa and UNESCO to promote the sharing of digital learning experiences, uplift vocational education and develop teaching skills on the continent.
This type of education has significantly helped China manage its unemployment rate, alongside various tax and monetary policies that encourage self-employment and entrepreneurship.
With President William Ruto advocating for the full adoption of the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) system by the youth, it could be a key area in harnessing skills to create jobs and reduce the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 12.7%, amidst a growing number of graduates from higher education institutions.
There has been a heated debate in the country regarding the mismatch between the skills needed in the job market and what educational institutions are producing, with critics arguing that the government has done too little to address this issue. This debate recently fueled anti-government protests by the youth (Gen-Z).
Before Dr. Ruto began championing the TVET campaigns in 2021, when he was the country’s Deputy President, technical institutions received little attention. Those who failed to meet university entry requirements often did not consider joining these institutions, which were poorly equipped. However, things have changed, with many youths now embracing this system as a pathway out of poverty.
The government has even disclosed that some 9,000 students who were admitted to universities opted out to join technical institutions, thanks to China’s influence in transforming our TVETs by equipping them with modern machinery, changing the old narrative that these institutions were not suitable for learning.
Sino-Kenya relations have helped the country make significant strides in equipping technical institutions, reskilling tutors, and improving the quality of teaching and training to match current trends in the rapidly evolving job market. In 2021, the reskilling of 9,000 tutors across the TVETs in the country was launched—a bold step that has increased youth interest in these institutions, which had been underutilized and underfunded for decades.
Beijing, a true friend of Nairobi, has been at the forefront of the TVET revolution by partnering with the government to provide access to the equipment and skills needed to enhance the quality of learning in technical institutions. This move has invigorated interest in TVETs, offering youths the opportunity to acquire skills that enable self-employment rather than facing the frustration of job hunting.
In a show of its commitment to realizing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) objective of technical training, earlier this year, China offered Sh13 billion to equip TVETs—a clear indication of Beijing’s dedication to ensuring Kenya’s success in promoting technical education.
During the ninth FOCAC in China, State House acknowledged that one of the trip’s benefits was President Ruto unlocking the third phase of equipment upgrades in TVET workshops—another sign that the relationship between China and Kenya is yielding fruitful, win-win cooperation.
Government officials have admitted that the Kenya-China TVET Project has brought significant improvements to TVET classrooms in terms of machinery meeting industrial standards. This means Kenya continues to be a key beneficiary of BRI, with youths acquiring improved skills that they can use to earn a living.
The continued support Kenya is receiving from Beijing aligns with what President Xi Jinping announced last year in August during the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue in Johannesburg—a new plan for China-Africa cooperation on talent development. This ambitious plan includes the annual training of 500 principals and high-caliber teachers from vocational colleges, the education of 10,000 technical personnel proficient in both Chinese language and vocational skills, and the invitation of 20,000 government officials and technicians from African countries to participate in workshops and seminars.
To maintain this momentum, the government should negotiate a deal with China to allow some TVET students to secure internships in Chinese companies locally and participate in benchmarking programs in Beijing, given the commitment to making this system work.
It is also important for the 238 TVETs across the country to establish ‘sister programs’ with technical institutions in China to foster cooperation at the institutional level. This could bring more opportunities such as scholarships, internship programs, and exchange programs.
The writer is a journalist and communication consultant @OnyangoKonyango
