TVET director Kenya visits Devotra

Smart Classrooms for improving the TVET sector in Kenya

Director TVET Mr. Bashir H. Mursal and Project Manager Mr. Francis Mungai of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST) Kenya visited Devotra from 09/11/15 to 15/11/15.
The purpose of the visit is to discuss the continuation of the ORET project No. KE/GZ07010 for the “Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Kenya Technical Teachers College and Nine Regional Centers of Excellence by means of implementing a Phase-2 of the project.

Phase 1 has been successfully implemented and has created the desired impact on training at the 10 TTIs and has been officially handed-over to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. During the design of the Phase 1 ORET Project, it was decided to first uplift 10 selected TTIs to Centers of Excellence. With teachers, staff and workshops fully prepared as Centers of Excellence ready for the next step: fully modernized with 21st century learning facilities fully integration with ICT based learning specifically designed for TVET. This phased approach guarantees success and smooth implementation of Phase 2.

Phase 2 of the Project focuses on integrating ICT based learning to the achievement of Phase 1 to further improve the learning uptake of trainees at the Centers of Excellence in science and technology and innovation, by using so called Smart Classrooms. The Smart Classroom enhances, the already high quality traditional TVET teaching at the 10 TTIs through further introduction of student-centred learning, interdisciplinary work, Competence Based Education and Training (CBET), and will maximize the use of the existing equipment at the workshops, amongst others, through;

Presentations (digital lessons)
Investigations & simulations (through on-screen simulations and virtual experiments)
Practical exercises
Project and group work

The Smart Classroom will change students and teachers mind-sets and will bring innovation, spur creative and catalytic thinking, trigger students’ exploration skills, enhance problem-solving based learning, provide the opportunity to teach and learn design skills and be the incubation area for ideas. The new attitudes, knowledge and skills will increase TVET graduates employability, bring new ideas to industry and also contribute to increased production at the Centres of Excellence. Implementation of the project is expected to take place starting January 2016.

The Smart Classroom consist of an ICT teacher demonstration room and a state-of-the-art laboratory. In the teaching demonstration room the Digital Learning Resources Library contains interactive software for all curriculum including simulations and virtual experiments to facilitate the delivery of science and technology in a number of engineering programmes. The state-of-the-art laboratory contains 18 workstations covering simulations, investigations, practical assignments, design and group work for, amongst others, the following topics;