Players in the education sector have commended the Government for scaling up investments in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) subsector in recent years but indicate that there is still a long way to go to build public confidence in TVET programmes.

While the proportion of students who attend TVET institutions has been steadily been growing in recent years compared to the total student population, several stakeholders say that the subsector continues to be undermined by negative public perception and gaps in funding.

Sébastien Nizeyimana, the head of Nyundo School of Arts, told The New Times that some parents still view TVET as a reserve for for academically weak or vulnerable students.

"That needs to change because TVET is the way to go,” he said.

Leonard Manirambona, the head teacher of Nyanza Technical School, said that, while TVET presents employment prospects to the youth, it was highly costly on the part of both the schools and students because many courses need training equipment that are often expensive.

"TVET is hands-on and it needs specific training equipment if you are to deliver quality education,” he said.

"If a child studies carpentry, he said, "they will need timber to make cupboards, which is costly.”

This he, said, pushes TVET centres to charge tuition fees that cannot be afforded by many.

"The Government needs to look into this aspect more keenly, and come up with some strategies like extending scholarships to students from vulnerable families,” he added.

Leon Mugabe, the executive secretary of Rwanda Education For All Coalition (REFAC), lauded the Government’s emphasis on the importance of TVET courses but warned that, considering the resources required to deliver quality TVET programmes, there was need to closely monitor delivery of TVET courses.

"TVET is a wonderful form of education but substandard TVET is disastrous,” he said.

The Government, he said, needs to strengthen the inspectorate role to ensure that TVET institutions have the right training equipment and qualified instructors to deliver quality education.

"Minimum requirements need to be clear and respected by all,” he added.

Over the last decade or so, the Government has put in place a legal and institutional framework to streamline the delivery of TVET programmes and make the subsector attractive to students and the community in general.

In the past, technical and vocational training centres had a reputation for churning out half-baked graduates, and mainly attracted students from poor backgrounds or those seen as academic failures.

But the Government has been working hard toward improving the quality of TVET graduates and changing the negative perception toward this form of education, according to Olivier Rwamukwaya, State Minister for TVET.

The creation of the position of the State Minister in charge of TVET in the Ministry of Education was part of broader efforts to transform this subsector.

The Government also established the Workforce Development Authority (WDA) as the institution in charge of regulating and coordinating TVET porogrammes across the country.

The latest round of reforms in the TVET subsector has seen the creation of Rwanda Polytechnic, a tertiary TVET institution with eight campuses around the country, while districts will oversee the operations of Technical Secondary Schools (TSSs) and Vocational training Centres (VTCs) in their respective jurisdictions.

The Ministry of Education says it wanted to see at least 60 per cent of the country’s total student population enrolled in TVET schools in 2018, up from 38 per cent in 2014.

Figures show that TVET boasted 47 per cent of the total student population in 2016, while officials at the Ministry of Education said recently that the figure had since grown further to over 50 per cent, although they were yet to consolidate figures to ascertain the latest enrolment rate.

TVET development claims 50 per cent of WDA’s annual budget, officials said. WDA received Rwf27 billion in the current financial year 2017/2018.

Officials say that TVET graduates stand a greater chance of getting employed or becoming successful entrepreneurs as opposed to graduates from the conventional education system because the former empowers students with hands-on and entrepreneurial skills, as opposed to the latter which is largely theoretical.

Figures from WDA show that at least 73 per cent of TVET graduates were getting employed within six months of their graduation, while a traceability study last year indicated that 75 per cent of employers were satisfied with the performance of TVET graduates.

According to a Labour Force Survey report published by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) in October last year, youth unemployment in the country stood at 21 per cent.

Both the Government and industry reckon that a stronger TVET subsector will help bridge the skills gap, which would boost the country’s efforts to promote local manufacturing and the Made-in-Rwanda drive.

Louise Kanyange, a TVET graduate from Nyundo School of Arts in Rubavu District, who excelled in last year’s national examinations – scoring 56 out of 60 – said she’s already reaping dividends.

"I recently made and sold a sculpture at 50,000 and this is a good sign considering that I have just completed school,” she told The New Times. "TVET is an opportunity for anyone to enhance their skills, make money and develop themselves and the country.”

editorial@newtimes.co.rw