TVET tutors issue 21-day ultimatum over exams, curricula and medical cover

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) tutors have given the Ministry of Education 21 days to address what they term persistent challenges in the sector or face industrial action.

The Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (KUTVET) said it had repeatedly sought talks with the ministry over issues affecting training and the welfare of tutors, but its efforts had yielded no response.

KUTVET secretary-general Kepher Oguwi said the union had exhausted peaceful avenues of engagement and would call a meeting to set a strike date if the ministry fails to convene talks within three weeks.

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“We are giving them an ultimatum of three weeks to call us to a meeting and address the gaps we are experiencing in TVETs. If they pass, we are going to call a strike,” Mr Oguwi said.

Among the issues the tutors want addressed are the review of the TVET curricula, the administration of student assessments, medical cover for trainers and unsolicited transfer of tutors.

The union comprising 7,000 members noted the TVET curriculum requires a major overhaul to ensure graduates acquire skills that match the needs of industry.

Mr Oguwi said frequent changes had created confusion among tutors and students, noting that the sector had undergone four curriculum changes in the past three years.

To remedy this, the union called for the establishment of a dedicated body of professionals to oversee curriculum reviews instead of repeatedly replacing the curriculum every few years.

“We have doctors, engineers, surveyors, accountants and managers in the TVET sector, and all these people can be instrumental in designing the correct curriculum,” he said.

Challenges facing tutors

The union also raised concerns over the administration of assessments under the Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) system, saying weaknesses in the examination process could undermine the quality of graduates.

Of critical concern is the use of email to transmit examination papers to colleges, which the union argued that the practice compromises the integrity of assessments.

Mr Oguwi who was flanked by other union officials said some institutions receive examination papers late, while colleges with large student populations face difficulties printing papers for thousands of candidates.

“If you are teaching students who are not going to be absorbed in the labour market, it means they will be wasted,” he said, calling for urgent intervention by the ministry.

The union also wants the government to address gaps in the Public Officers’ Medical Scheme Fund administered by the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying members are being turned away or denied treatment because of limits on their medical cover.

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“Our members are suffering. They flood our phones with calls and messages every day from hospitals where they are being turned away or denied treatment,” he said.

The union further wants the government to streamline the transfer of tutors, saying some principals were initiating transfers without following due process.

Mr Oguwi said tutors should only be transferred through established procedures, particularly where an individual had not requested a transfer.

The union said the challenges facing tutors also affect the quality and relevance of training, making urgent engagement with the Ministry of Education necessary.

The union officials said they had last engaged the ministry about a month ago but had received no response to its subsequent communication.

“We have tried to engage the minister. We have tried to follow the peaceful pathway, which has failed. They have ignored, hence our 21-day ultimatum,” he said.

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