Seventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF7) "Open Learning for Development: Towards Empowerment and Transformation" Abuja, Nigeria from 2 - 6 December 2013, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Institutional Capacity to Manage and Drive Change: A Case Study of Mombasa Technical Training Institute. Authors: Bashir H. Mursal 1 and Kyalo M. Josephine 2 [email protected]1 and [email protected]2 Kenya Coast Polytechnic Kenya
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Seventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF7)
"Open Learning for Development: Towards Empowerment and Transformation"
Abuja, Nigeria from 2 - 6 December 2013, in partnership with the Federal Ministry
of Education and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Institutional Capacity to Manage and Drive Change: A Case Study of Mombasa
Technical Training Institute.
Authors: Bashir H. Mursal1 and Kyalo M. Josephine 2
Online course like the FSD-Man (23 staff have completed & got certificates)
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FlexTL.-11 members completed & have certificates.
The capacity build on the teachers has enabled them to adopt the FaB teaching pedagogy and also
embark on developing course material that are more flexible and suitable to the needs of the learners. The
new courses have led to an increase in the number of students enrolled. Currently the number of students
has increased by more than 50%.
Development of New Course.
The FaB team has developed material for the following courses;
1) Cake making & Decoration
2) Couture Fashion
3) Auto-care
4) HIV& Aids Management
5) Small & Micro Business Enterprises.
The course materials are being uploaded on the Moodle and will be launched by September 2013. The
courses are targeting people in the informal sector and will be taught using flexible and blended methods
Other new courses already developed are in the fields of Eye Health and Maritime courses. These are
formal courses and were launched in May 2013 in collaboration with employers and professional bodies.
COL Consultant working with the MOTTI FaB Team.
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Improvement in Teaching and Learning.
With the Introduction of FaB, lecturers are now using a variety of delivery modes and also engaging the
learners to participate more in their learning. During an interview with one of the students he said
‘teachers are no longer wearing ‘Surayakazi’ in class, they are friendlier and give the learner an
opportunity to express themselves. Initially learning used to be boring as lecturers used to control the
class through talk and chalk for two hours. These days the lecturer is a facilitator and not a dictator. ICT is
allocated as a lesson to all classes and each class has two hours for internet to do research. This has
improved student’s ICT knowledge and enabled them to learn more on their own individually and in
groups as peers. Every class has an email address whereby they communicate with the lectures. Mobile
phone is no longer illegal in class and learners are encouraged to use their phones more to search for
information except during examinations.
This has led to the learners being able to get more information and has contributed to better results at the
end of the final exams. The learners are very positive about the changes that are taking place in the
institute and have encouraged other people to join the institute. Short courses offered in the evening, over
the weekend and holidays have been introduced. These changes have brought about marked quality
improvement in learning leading to an increase in the number of students enrolled.
The New Multimedia Laboratory
Through a proposal written by the chief Principal a fully equipped multimedia lab is in place. Staffs are now using the facility to develop audio/video teaching material. This lab is proving to be an important asset for teachers and a time-table had to be set to accommodate for those who want to use.The multimedia lab has also led to the starting of the following new courses;
∑ Certificate in journalism and media∑ Diploma in Telecommunication ∑ Certificate in Telecommunication
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The Multi Media Lab
Conclusion
The institute is one of the eight TVET institutions year-marked by the government for commissioning as
national polytechnics. When it becomes a fully functional polytechnic, the institute will have the autonomy
to formulate its own curriculum, and also administer its own examinations independently from the national
examination body. This will make FaB progress well as some of the objectives of FaB cannot be realized
when the Institute is working under instructions from a different curriculum developer and examination
bodies.
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The institute is one of the institutions with the best ICT infrastructure among the FSD key TVET
institutions in Kenya.Alot of effort has been put to ensure that the institution has internet connectivity in all
the major buildings and with an automatic swicth over to wireless in place accessibility is round the clock.
Most of the teachers have acquired personal laptops. This alone is not enough to enable the institution to
realize the FaB goal, meaning all teachers are aware of the need for them to commit themselves to their
professional development in order to remain relevant. To achieve this, a major milestone has been
attained; the lecturers have developed the right attitude and are acquiring new skills and knowledge.
Kenya Coast polytechnic has made significant steps in the use of ICT in teaching and learning. A
considerable investment has been made in the acquisition of relevant computing resources for teaching
and learning. The principal in conjuction with COL has done a tremendous job in building capacity in both
the lecturers and the students.The FaB team and the entire staff have also worked hard to embrace FaB.
The paper also concludes that; inorder for the institute to continue in the ways of FaB and realize change,
there is need for all the stake holders in the TVET fraternity to be involved. A bottom up approach is
suitable in engaging country wide TVET institutions, policy makers, examination authorities and the
curriculum developers.
The TVET Act 2013 provides interventions on access, equity, relevance, quality, management,
governance and efficiency. The Act comes in handy when the key institutions have embraced the FaB
initiative giving them broader autonomy and flexibility. The directors and implementers of the TVET
Authority which the Act establishes will hopefully be drawn from the principals of the TVET Institutions and
this will provide a good opportunity of pushing the FaB agenda in TVET a step higher.
Future Plans.
The Institute plans to refurbish and rehabilitate Chandaria hall to a modern e-conference facility. The estimate is Kshs 55millon (Plan Drawings and BQs are ready as shown below). The principal has written a proposal to source for the funds.
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References
1. Baseline survey June 2010 by George Herd
2. John Nyerere (2010), Technical & vocational education and training (TVET ) sector
mapping in Kenya
3. Institution ICT Capability & Infrastructure Assessment Report July 2011 by Kimolo N.
4. Readiness progress since baseline survey (as of June 2011) Report by George Herd
5. The Technical and Vocation Education and Training Bill, 2012(2.07.2012)