Role of Native Industrial Training Depot in the Development of Technical Education in Kenya
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Technical education in Kenya began long ago, even before the white man came to Kenya. Kenyans knew how to build their houses and go about agriculture and make some of the tools they used. These skills made their life more comfortable. Fathers passed the skills to their sons through apprenticeship. Colonialists’ arrival and the construction of the Uganda railway played a part in training some of the skilled African men at the Kabete Native Industrial Training Depot in 1924, which is the current Kabete National Polytechnic started by the colonial government.
The missionaries brought in technicians who trained the Kenyans in various skills to help in their operations’ sustenance in spreading the gospel. They needed drivers, mechanics, electricians, carpenters, etc. They were also referred to as fundis and brought their skills after the war. The earliest locations where they set up their technical training sites were Machakos, Mumias, and Kikuyu. World War 2 brought an increase of people, machinery, and a greater need for training. Kenyans were recruited in large quantities in the Kabete National Polytechnic, which had been turned into a recruiting barracks.
With time and the change of education system in Kenya, it became a National Technical Secondary School. The existing industrial training depots were converted to vocational schools and secondary schools since Kenyans were qualifying from a primary school in the 1940s and the 1950s. This training depot laid a foundation for the establishment of other technical and vocat1ional training institutes. In 1954, the Commission for Higher Education, whose main plan was to establish the Nairobi Royal Technical College, was formed. It is the current University of Nairobi. Mombasa Institute of Moslem Education had been established in 1948 and provided technical education to Moslem students. It became Mombasa Polytechnic in 1972. The Kenya Polytechnic was established in 1961 to offer vocational courses and elementary courses.
The growth of vocational and technical education has been seen in Kenya since independence from direct government and community involvement. The government introduced production education and home science in several secondary schools in the 1960s and 1970s. During this time, it was converted to Kabete Technical Training Institute. There was an establishment of 18 technical secondary schools to offer technical education at the high school level and later converted to technical training institutes in 1986. By 1987, several polytechnics, colleges, and technical training institutes had been.
The Kabete National Polytechnic has a high enrollment offering 36 diploma programs, 15 certificate courses, and six artisan courses. It is the first TVET institution to export engineering spare parts made in college. Vast numbers of students continue enrolling as these institutions have over 60,000 students. This education has come through many phases, and it’s lately not considered for dropouts and those who have performed poorly but as very important in Kenya’s education system. It aims at continuously providing a taskforce for businesses and industries within the. It caters to students who could not further their education at both primary and secondary levels and graduates. It consumes a high number of school leavers to provide self-employment.
The education system also aimed to provide a practical curriculum to offer a broad scope of self or wage employment. Along with the education commissions, the government continues to evaluate the education and training systems to ensure it serves the youths and national development interests. It seeks to better the quality of training at all levels to ensure continuity of high economic development and achieve national aims, including developing practical skills leading to income-generating activities as per the sessional paper no six 0f 1988.
Native Industrial Training Depots have played a significant role in the development of technical education in Kenya. There is the inclusion of practical subjects in both primary and secondary school levels.
References
Akala, W. J., & Changilwa, P. K. (2018). Status of Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVET) in Post-secondary Education in Kenya. Journal of Popular Education in Africa, 2(7).
KIRWA, T. A. (2016). Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Flexible Teaching Approaches In Technical Training Institutions In Kenya (Doctoral dissertation).