INVEST Africa/Success Stories

What do policy makers say?
Honestly speaking teaching is getting more exciting. I created a class email and am posting all my notes there. I am no longer wasting time dictating the notes. The students write from the Internet at their own pace and then we discuss. I am saving 50% of my time. Come next term we will discuss over Facebook. Flexible ni mambo yote! (Flexible is everything!) - Agnes Karambu Maigallo TTTI, Kenya.

What do teachers say?
 July-September 2013  It is good to note that we targeted the disadvantaged youths that were it not for this (self-confidence and self-management) training, they would not have gotten a skill, employment or further their education due to their poor backgrounds. (From another post - Our trainees who have been on employment/attachment are finally through. Most of them have been absorbed, several have started their own businesses and a few have decided to further their vocational skills. It is interesting to see their enthusiasm as they look forward to being useful members of the society.

The report on their employment/attachments will be available for your perusal.) Source: http://flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com/forum/topics/robust-linking-of-employers-with-short-courses-trainees-thika-tti - Tabitha Mugure, Kenya.

Tabitha's contribution can be very helpful to the Department of Research and Consultancy at our College TVTC, Luanshya, Zambia. I help coordinate the short intensive courses which range from two to three weeks. It would be interesting to actually create a linkage between our graduates(trainees) and the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education(mouthful) so that these trainees are easily absorbed into the system(more especial our Teaching methodology trainees). Source: http://flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com/forum/topics/robust-linking-of-employers-with-short-courses-trainees-thika-tti - Catherine Simasiku, Kenya.

"Tabitha, this is a very useful way of finding out whether the training being conducted meets the needs of the clients. It is time we emulated this strategy. TVTC has trained over a thousand people since the beginning of this year in short courses…"TVTC has trained over a thousand people since the beginning of this year in short courses and it is time we called employers to hear their views about the performance of our graduates on the short courses. Great idea. The short performance improvement courses are run during College recess and rum between 2 to three weeks. Some are run in outreach centres and the rest are run on full time basis for the two to three weeks duration. The following courses were run between January and June 2013: Secretarial Management 15 Females; Teaching Methodology Phases 1, 2 and 3 572 Males and 274 Females; Records Management 8 Males and 12 Females; Writing of Test Items and Marking Keys 9 Males and 7 Females; Stores Management 9 Males and 6 Females; Education Management 5 Males and 4 Females; Health and Safety Practices 4 Males and 1 Females.

For ODL courses which are also run during the holidays we had the following figures. December 2012 to January 2013 - 344 Males and 440 Females and April to May 2013, 589 Males and 747 Females. These figures are drawn from the Technical Teachers' Diploma; Guidance, Counseling and Placement and the Commercial Teachers' Diploma.. Source: http://flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com/forum/topics/robust-linking-of-employers-with-short-courses-trainees-thika-tti - Sangster Muleya Jere, Zambia.

It is good to see you on this platform Fridah (Mulembe). You will learn a lot through sharing information on this platform. Source: http://flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com/forum/topics/open-educational-resources-2 - Sangster Muleya Jere, Zambia.

Thank God for the introduction of Moodle in Koforidua Polytechnic. This will make the dissemination of information very fast and accurate. I thank Management for their effort. Source: http://flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com/group/koforiduapolytechnic/forum/topics/moodle

- Joyce Quaye, Koforidua Polytechnic  Up to June 2013 

For a teacher like me, the use of flexible and blended learning and teaching means students are more motivated. This is because they participate directly in guiding their own learning. The quality of teaching is also greatly enhanced. - Jeremiah Agira, KTTC, Kenya.

By embracing FSD initiatives my teaching career has been rejuvenated immensely. My trainees no longer omplain of old tools, machinery and equipment used for training. This is because I can now access for them nearly all teaching aids online. I am able to shoot, edit and show video clips to my audience using skills acquired through FSD initiatives. As a Champion of FSD, I have improved on the enrolment in my department. We have reached out to the informal sector through short courses thus addressing some issues considered as national challenges. - Francis Njoroge Macharia, TTTI, Kenya.

FSD is gradually changing my way of instruction from boredom to attentiveness. As a practical teacher with a class size of 100, I used to put the students into groups of 10 and take each group in turn through one practical lesson. But FSD video and audio training have made it easy and more interesting because all the activities are recorded on the CD, I project it in class and we discuss it and they ask questions and respond to them. And they are given a CD each to continue watching in their homes and hostels. So, instead of me using 10 days for a lesson, I now use a day. And students now feel confident in their planning to carry out their practical. - Joyce Quaye, KP, Ghana.

We meet the needs of working people who can’t study full-time and we earn income to contribute to improved learning resources. INVEST is a lifeline for us; we receive a grant from government which is less than 10% of our operating costs. ODL courses help us to balance our institutional budget. - Pascal Chewe, Principal, TVTC, Kenya.

Since becoming a INVEST Africa Key Institution in 2010, we have increased the number of learners and training programmes we offer. We now have full-time, part-time and holiday-based programmes, and we are in the process of launching distance learning programmes. - John Mwawaza, Principal, CIT, Kenya.

What do managers say?
Instead of investing heavily in constructing more classroom blocks, ICT could reduce learning costs by introducing FaB approaches such as the radio and mobile phones programmes to reach the informal sector. - Edward Caesar Mansal, Director of Academics, GTTI, Kenya.

Flexible and blended skills promote strategies that can be implemented to reach the excluded and disadvantaged groups such as women and youth who are mostly engaged in informal entrepreneurial activities with little or no training available to them. These groups may have been marginalised to a large extent by the traditional system. - Lenah Sambu, RVTTI, Kenya.

Other
Being the HRM departmental champion, I proposed a distance learning programme in our departmental end of term meeting in March. It was really taken positively especially by our HOD. So come this term, she ensured that the programme was advertised in the Daily Nation paper in the month of July through the registrar's office. The courses that were advertised include: Higher Diploma/Diploma in HRM; and a Diploma in Community Development. Source: http://flexibleskillsdevelopment.ning.com/forum/topics/thika-tti-hrm-department-goes-odl - Pauline Njeri Chege, Kenya

Resources

 * Blockquote template - http://wikieducator.org/Template:Cquote
 * INVEST Africa Brochure, 2013