Policy Frameworks - Major Policy Issues In Tvet In Africa

ALL AFRICA INTERNATIONAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING ASSOCIATION (IVETA) CONFERENCE “ACHIEVING POVERTY REDUCTION THROUGH QUALITY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY”

POLICY FRAMEWORKS: MAJOR POLICY ISSUES IN TVET IN AFRICA

GABRIEL S KONAYUMA SENIOR TEVET OFFICER MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING, ZAMBIA

LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA

10 – 13 AUGUST 2008

All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa Gabriel S Konayuma, Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Zambia. E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT A number of African nations have adopted Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reforms since the 1990s. This has resulted in the formulation of TVET policies. These policies have sought to address the socio-economic challenges faced by various nations. One major concern of policy makers is to ensure a TVET system that is relevant and accessible while addressing issues of quality. Policy makers are aware of the critical role that TVET can play in national development. The increasing importance that African governments now attach to TVET is reflected in the various Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, National Development Plans and Vision Papers that governments have developed and are developing. This paper seeks to: • Share knowledge on TVET policies in selected African nations • Identify the major policy issues in TVET in Africa • Assess the relevance of TVET policies in achieving poverty reduction This paper seeks to address the major policy issues in TVET in Africa that are faced by policy makers and practitioners. This is done by doing a study of major policy discussions in TVET Conferences such as Bureau of the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union, Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA), IVETA, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UNESCO-UNEVOC Conferences. An analysis of TVET policies in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia is also done. Also addressed is the current status of TVET in Africa. These include issues of gender, harmonisation of TVET programmes and qualifications, linkage of TVET to the labour market among many others. Also proposed is the importance of partnerships among various stakeholders in TVET policy formulation and implementation. Key words: Poverty reduction, TVET, Policy, Policy framework.

INTRODUCTION A number of African nations have adopted TVET reforms since the 1990s. This has resulted in the formulation of TVET policies. These policies have sought to address the socioeconomic challenges faced by various nations. One major concern of policy makers is to ensure a TVET system that is relevant and accessible while addressing issues of quality. Policy makers are aware of the critical role that TVET can play in national development. The increasing importance that African governments now attach to TVET is reflected in the various Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, National Development Plans and Vision Papers that governments have developed. This paper seeks to: • • •

Share knowledge on TVET policies in selected African nations Identify the major policy issues in TVET in Africa Assess the relevance of TVET policies in achieving poverty reduction

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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The paper’s topic is “Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa”. This topic is considered by looking at the following sub-headings: Introduction of the paper, definitions of key terms, an overview of TVET in Africa, a highlight of TVET Policies in some African nations and a discussion of major policy issues in TVET in Africa. The paper then looks at the relevance of TVET Policies in Achieving Poverty Reduction. The paper ends with some conclusions and recommendations.

DEFINITIONS Technical and Vocational Education and Training A number of definitions are normally provided for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). This paper uses the definition by (UNESCO, 2001:1-2) where Technical and Vocational Education and Training is defined as all forms and levels of the educational process involving, in addition to general knowledge, the study of technologies and related sciences and the acquisition of practical skills, know-how, attitudes and understanding relating to occupations in the various sectors of economic and social life. This definition highlights the importance of the acquisition of practical knowledge, skills and attitudes in any training offered by TVET providers. Policy Policy is defined as an actor(s) deliberate actions in the management of a situation in order to achieve a certain goal(s).

OVERVIEW OF TVET IN AFRICA Before looking at major policy issues in TVET in Africa it is important to look at an overview of TVET in Africa. TVET systems in Africa differ from nation to nation. This is due to the different socio-economic conditions of the nations. In addition TVET is delivered at different levels in different type of institutions. These are Technical Vocational Schools, Polytechnics, Enterprises and Apprenticeship Training Centres. This is to enable trainees from various backgrounds to access training suitable to their needs. It has been stated that the socioeconomic environment and the contextual framework in which TVET delivery systems currently operate in Africa is characterized, in general, by: •

Uncoordinated, unregulated and fragmented delivery systems

TVET provision spread over different ministries e.g. In Zambia the key ministries are Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training (MSTVT), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development (MSYCD). •

Low quality

In general, the quality of training is low with undue emphasis on theory and certification rather than on skills acquisition and proficiency testing;

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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•

Shrinking or stagnant wage employment opportunities especially in the industrial sector

In many African countries, with the notable exception of Mauritius and South Africa, about 85% of the workforce is in the informal, non-wage employment sector. This labour force distribution pattern needs to be kept in mind when developing national TVET policies and strategies. •

Geographical, gender and economic inequities

The good TVET institutions are located in the big towns and cities. In Zambia this is true with the leading TVET institutions found in the Copperbelt, Lusaka and Southern provinces which are along the line of rail. •

Poor public perception

TVET in Africa is considered as a career path for the less academically endowed. In addition, entry requirements in TVET institutions are normally lower than that of academic institutions. •

Inadequate financing, poor management and ill-adapted organisational structures

The diverse TVET management structures and the sharing of supervisory responsibilities by various government bodies and ministries account for some of the inefficiencies in the system like duplication and segmentation of training and the absence of common platform for developing coherent policies and joint initiatives. •

Weak monitoring and evaluation

Current training programmes in many African nations are supply driven. TVET programmes are very often not designed to meet observed or projected labour market demands. (African Union, 2007:22-25). However, some promising practices in the provision of TVET have emerged and are emerging. The next section considers some of these. Promising Best Practices There are some promising best practices in TVET in Africa. Some of these innovative best practices are: a. Ghana: Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) which oversees all TVET activities. b. Kenya: Kenyan NGO SITE (Strengthening Informal Training and Enterprise) – Improved traditional apprenticeship training using master craftsperson's. c. South Africa: National Qualifications Framework (NQF) – mechanism for awarding qualifications based on achievement of specified learning outcomes.

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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TVET POLICIES IN SOME AFRICAN NATIONS In this section a few policies from selected African nations are highlighted. These are located in Eastern and Southern Africa. a. Botswana - National Policy on Vocational Education and Training (1997): The major issues in this policy are: Skills Level training, Life-long training, Public & Private Institutional training, Employer-Based Training. b. Kenya - Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2005 on Education, Training and Research: This is an all inclusive structure of education and training from the primary school cycle to higher levels. c. Malawi – Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Policy (1998): The policy emphasizes an integrated, demand driven, sustainable, independent and autonomous TEVET system. d. Zambia – Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Policy (1996). The policy stresses the importance of entrepreneurship training to enhance self-employment and employment creation in the informal and informal sectors. The policy also outlines the role of different stakeholders in providing training in the TVET sector. The above four TVET policy documents have similar statements on the players in TVET provision i.e. both private and public. The policies also discuss the modalities of financing TVET and address issues of quality, access and equity.

MAJOR POLICY ISSUES IN TVET IN AFRICA TVET in Africa addresses a number of policy issues. However, the major issues that have been identified recently include: • Poor perception of TVET • Gender stereotyping • Linkage between vocational and general education • Linkage of TVET to the labour market • Traditional skills, business management and entrepreneurship training • Harmonisation of TVET programmes and qualifications (African Union, 2007:3435). It is important to look at these policy issues in greater detail. (a) Poor perception of TVET In many nations students in the vocational education sector face great challenges in proceeding to higher education. There is need to make TVET less dead-end by harmonising the vocational and general education systems. (b) Gender stereotyping There is need to encourage females using appropriate methods to take up male dominated training programmes like Carpentry, Bricklaying and Plastering and Engineering. Males ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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likewise should be encouraged to take up female dominated training programmes like Dressmaking, Hairdressing and Food and Nutrition. (c) Linkage between vocational and general education The two training forms have parallel systems with separate institutions, programmes and trainers. There is need to create articulation pathways between vocational and general education. Some nations have begun to address this by setting up TVET and National Qualifications Frameworks. There is need for more African nations to follow on this path. (d) Linkage of TVET to the labour market Vocational training must have an aim of employment whether in the informal or formal sector. TVET programmes therefore have to be linked to the job market. This can enhance the relevance of TVET in society and lead to socio-economic development. (e) Traditional skills, business management and entrepreneurial training There is need for TVET programmes to help traditional skills in the area of crafts and artifacts manufacture. In Zambia some efforts have been made in this regard in the areas of basket making and crafts in the tourist industry. There is need for strong policy measures to support such efforts. TVET training must have business management and entrepreneurship skills to equip graduates with skills for self-employment. (f) Harmonisation of TVET programmes and qualifications As Africa seeks greater social and economic integration, the harmonisation of TVET programmes and qualifications becomes very important. There is need for readability and permeability of training qualifications across national boundaries. In Southern Africa, nations under the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) are working towards developing a Regional Qualifications Framework. This is being preceded by the development of a National Qualifications Frameworks. The above discussion has highlighted some of the major policy issues in TVET in Africa. Conferences on TVET have also highlighted these policy issues. For instance, the CAPA Conference of December 2006 had a theme of “Reforming and Reorienting TVET for Sustainable Development”. Topics such as Challenges of Shrinking Formal Sector in Africa and the need to strengthen entrepreneurship training were addressed. This shows how entrepreneurial training continues to be viewed as important in TVET. The CAPA Conference of December 2007 had a theme of “TVET and Globalisation” at which topics such as the Implications of Globalisation on TVET Curriculum design were discussed. Globalisation has been described as a system of economic forces of change that are driving the future. Indeed, no country can afford to ignore the effects of globalisation or the increasing integration and inter-dependence of national economies. Globalisation is driven by the ease of information exchange, capital flow, and the migration of people, labour, goods and services across national boundaries. One of the main challenges of globalisation for TVET in Africa is the tension it has created between developing skills for poverty eradication and skills for global economic competitiveness (CAPA, 2007:1). This shows how TVET has to be relevant not only to local needs but emerging global needs thus ensuring portability of skills from one region of Africa to another and the rest of the world. Having discussed the major policy issues in TVET in Africa, the next section discusses the relevance of TVET policies in achieving poverty reduction.

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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THE RELEVANCE OF TVET POLCIES IN ACHIEVING POVERTY REDUCTION Policy direction by African governments is very key in achieving poverty reduction. This is because policy directs governments and other institutions to where resources can be channeled. Having looked at the policy documents from Botswana, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia, it has been noted how emphasis has been made on ensuring that TVET provision is of high quality, accessible and equitable. However, challenges do exist in ensuring that TVET policies lead to the achievement of poverty reduction. Some of the challenges are: inadequate resources (both material and human), lack of political will, demand from other sectors and lack of consensus on the role of TVET. (a) Inadequate resources The TVET sector requires massive input in terms of resources (financial, material and human). In a number of African nations, this is a challenge due to competing demand from other sectors. Although TVET policies may have well thought statements on what needs to be done in order to produce skills for national development, the lack of adequate resources has a negative impact on the implementation of the policies. This means that the TVET policies do not lead to poverty reduction as intended. (b) Lack of Political Will Political will has a lot to do on the success of TVET policies. Where political will is absent, it becomes difficult to mobilize adequate resources in order to implement the policies. Political will gives a sense of ownership to the implementation of policies by policy makers. (c) Demand from other Sectors A number of African nations have to grapple with allocating adequate resources to TVET alongside other competing sectors. Many nations are striving to achieve the millennium development goals by the year 2015 where health and education are key sectors to be addressed. While TVET is normally regarded as a sector under education, it normally would not receive adequate funding as basic education is considered a higher priority. (d) Lack of consensus on the role of TVET Earlier, the paper discussed the poor public perception that TVET has. Where this public perception exists among policy makers, it becomes difficult to have consensus on the role of TVET in national development. Consensus on the important role that TVET plays in national development is very important. Having looked at some of the challenges that are faced in TVET policy implementation in African nations, it can be noted that generally TVET policies have been useful in achieving poverty reduction in Africa. TVET graduates have been employed and become involved in employment and wealth creation. However, a lot still needs to b done, to ensure that TVET policies are implemented as intended thus leading to poverty reduction or better still wealth creation. This calls for a lot of collaboration among policy makers in TVET.

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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CONCLUSIONS In concluding this paper, a number of conclusions can be made. Firstly, the harmonisation of general and vocational education remains a key issue in TVET which needs to be addressed. Associated with this is the need to vocationalise the general education system and avoid “academising” the vocational education system. Secondly, the harominsation of TVET programmes is also becoming a key issue in TVET. A number of African nations are seeing the importance of harmonising qualifications within the TVET system and outside the system. This harmonisation is at national and regional level. Thirdly, there is growing awareness on the role of entrepreneurship training to promote selfemployment and wealth creation in the midst of shrinking formal sector employment in most African nations. Fourthly, the linkage of TVET to the labour market has been a key issue among a number of policy makers in Africa. This is in a quest to ensure relevance of TVET to the socio-economic needs of developing nations of Africa. Fifthly, African nations have shown great commitment on the role of TVET in national development. This is seen in the many TVET policies that have been formulated, conferences on TVET by the African Union, CAPA, IVETA, SADC and UNESCO. The development of regional protocols e.g. by SADC on education and training and the Strategy to revitalize TVET in Africa is further evidence on the importance that policy makers have attached to TVET.

RECOMMENDATIONS Having looked at the major policy issues in TVET in Africa, the following recommendations are made: (a)

Networking and Benchmarking: There is need for African nations to improve in their networking and benchmark against each other’s best practices in TVET provision. This should be done at a bilateral level through Joint Permanent Commission’s and through regional groupings. There is need to improve on the sharing of information on TVET policies and strategies among African nations through face to face meetings and through use of Information and Communication Technologies.

(b)

Greater support for TVET by Policy Makers: Policy makers need to give greater support to TVET by allocating more resources and increasing promotional activities on TVET. This will increase the public perception of TVET and make it the training of choice among many youths, women, disadvantaged groups and employees. Policy makers should do this conscious

(c)

Strengthening regional integration: There is need to strengthen and accelerate regional integration. This will ensure that African nations will benefit from each other’s strengths in the fields of education especially TVET.

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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CONCLUSION The paper has looked at an overview of TVET in Africa and highlighted major policy issues in TVET in Africa. The paper then discussed how these policy issues have helped in achieving poverty reduction in Africa. Recommendations were made to ensure that major policy issues in TVET in Africa leads to poverty reduction. The recommendations were the need for benchmarking and networking in Africa, policy makers giving greater support to TVET and strengthening of regional integration. In conclusion, I end by quoting from UNESCO: “Since education is considered the key to effective development strategies, TVET must be the master key that can alleviate poverty, promote peace, conserve the environment, improve the quality of life for all and help achieve sustainable development” (UNESCO, 2004).

________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gabriel S Konayuma, Zambia [Policy Frameworks: Major Policy Issues in TVET in Africa]

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All Africa IVETA Conference 2008: Achieving Poverty Reduction through Quality Vocational Education and Training through Partnership with Industry. Livingstone, 10-13 August 2008.

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REFERENCES African Union, 2007 Strategy to Revitalise Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Africa. Addis Ababa: African Union. CAPA, 2007 Invitation Letter for International Conference on “Globalisation and TVET in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities”: 3rd-7th December, 2007. Nairobi: Commonwealth Association for Polytechnics in Africa. UNESCO, 2001 Revised Recommendation Concerning Technical and Vocational Education. Paris: UNESCO. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2004, Sessional Paper of 2004: A Policy Framework for Education, Training and Research. Nairobi: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, 1997, National Policy on Vocational Education and Training. Gaborone: Ministry of Home Affairs. Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, 1998, Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Policy. Lilongwe: Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training, 1996, Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Policy. Lusaka: Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training.

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