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EDUCATION FOR ENHANCING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN CAPITAL COMPETITIVENESS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- Published On: 2022-10-25
The KEPSA Education Sector Board retreat kicked off on 25th October 2022 in Meru County. The three-day retreat focused on private sector contribution to enhancing skills development and human capital for sustainable development.
In his opening remarks, Dr Vincent Gaitho – KEPSA Education Sector Board Chairperson said that the challenges faced in skills and competency development are similar in all the subsectors of education, especially in the light of transition and curriculum reforms. The Sector Board Chair also expressed hope that it is not the government's plan to do away with the competency-based curriculum but the new administration will challenge the private sector to reform the education sector. KEPSA is represented at the Presidential working party by Ms Mutheu Kasanga.
Dr Julius Otundo while highlighting the national and global outlook of the education sector, remarked that in 2017, Kenya's education system was rated by the World Economic Forum as the strongest on the African continent and, in 2018, ranked Kenya as the top African Country for education outcomes. Nevertheless, in 2020, Kenya ranked position 115 out of 152 countries, trailing behind Egypt (64) and South Africa (52) in the Competitive Index Report (CIP, 2020). In addition, there exists a shortage of human resources needed for the development of science, technology and innovation in Kenya. Kenya's unemployment rate stands at 10.4 per cent while the labour underutilization rate is at 17.2 percent.
The highest rate of labour underutilization falls in the age category of 20-24 at 32.7 per cent. Further, youth aged between 15-34 years record the highest percentage of persons who are not in employment, education or training at 18.2 percent. Kenya is thus faced with the challenge of reengineering its education and training system to effectively prepare students for productive work by equipping them with the skills that fit the labour market requirements.
During the retreat, the sector board members reviewed and developed a strategic alignment of the contribution of the private sector in enhancing skills and human capital competitiveness for sustainable development. In addition, participants also developed the sector board strategy and work plan for the year 2022-2023.