Tunisian voters will head to polls next December 24 to elect the 2,434 members of the 297 local councils. The elected officials will, in their turn, select their peers in the National Council of Regions and Districts created under Juyl 25, 2022 Constitution.
The campaign of local elections – the first of their kind in Tunisia – is set to start on Saturday, December 2, in 2,155 constituencies and run until December 22. Electoral silence will then follow.
In the runup to local elections, the Independent High Authority for Elections (French: ISIE) issued three reguatory decisions in relation to rules organising the campaign, the funding of election expenses and the media coverage of the campaign.
The election commission is in charge of monitoring the media coverage of the campaign after annulment of the decision involving the Independent High Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HAICA).
The Ministry of Education, through the State Department for Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET), will ensure competency-based education and training (CBET) is fully implemented across all the TVET institutions in the country.
Speaking at the Eldoret National Polytechnic in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu, during a CBET delivery workshop for all TVET principals in Rift Valley, the Principal Secretary State Department for TVET, Dr. Esther Muoria, said the department will roll out the CBET model of training and at the same time recraft the curriculum to address the skills gap among the youth.
She added that they have also begun retooling the trainers to enable them to pass over to youth industry-based skills.
She noted that they have re-energised the curriculum through the Curriculum Delivery Assessment and Certification Council (CDAC), an examining body of TVETs.
‘We have been going around other regions to ensure that CBET is being well delivered; we have put in place a CBET delivery unit to go around the
whole country and see to it that we have shifted from theory training to competency-based training,’ she said.
She further noted that CBET is skilling the youth through partnerships with industry and other working partners to ensure 50 to 70 per cent of the training of the youth is going to be done in industry and the other 50 to 30 per cent in the classroom setting.
‘One of the other things that the department wants to do is train with the industry, if it is the textile industry, like in this region, we have Rivatex that has developed an MoU with this institution so that our students train partly here and partly at Rivatex,’ said Dr. Muoria.
She indicated that by the time our young people are graduating, they will not only have the skills but also have been integrated into that industry.
Dr. Muoria said that CBET is ideal for ensuring the youth acquire the requisite skills to work in industries outside the country.
She added that the department, in collaboration with GIZ and other working partners, is d
oing its best to link all the technical institutions to industries, especially the Jua Kali industries and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to ensure the youth learn skills.
The PS hinted at the TVET framework for assessment and certification on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), where someone who may have acquired skills and experience in a certain field, like arts and others, can be assessed in the TVETs and be awarded a certificate.
On his part, TVET/CDACC CEO/Council Secretary, Prof. Kisilu Kitainge, said that they are going to develop TVET curriculum while reviewing the one in place to ensure that it complies with the expectations of industry.
‘We are continuing to review and also develop others that have not been in existence; the assessment is ongoing,’ said Kitainge.
Prof. Kitainge said that the council is set to release all certificates by December 20th this year for all CBET assessments for those who did their assessments earlier.
The CEO revealed that there are 7256 students cu
rrently sitting for assessment and that the number is expected to rise to more than 100,000 for the March 2024 assessment.
Source: Kenya News Agency
The Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen) shareholders are set to receive Sh2 billion in dividend pay-outs for the year ending June 30, 2023, one of the highest the company has paid since the 2016 Rights Issue.
This follows approval by the NSE-listed company’s shareholders during the 71st AGM held in Nairobi, which paved the way for KenGen to pay a first and final dividend payment of Sh0.3 per share, adding up to Sh2 billion.
The dividend payout comes at a time when the company posted Sh5.2 billion in profits after tax, which KenGen says goes to demonstrate its strong financial health and stability over the years.
Speaking in Nairobi during the AGM, KenGen Board Chairman Julius Ogamba noted that the company’s strong business fundamentals, innovation culture, and robust expansion strategy have continued to propel the company to profitability, thereby growing value for its shareholders’ year-on-year.
‘Our financial results for the year paint a picture of growth and sustainability. Revenue incre
ased by 14%, reaching Sh 53.96 billion, showcasing the financial health and robustness of the company,’ said Mr. Ogamba.
KenGen Chairman further said that KenGen would continue to push its ongoing good-to-great strategy, which is anchored on geothermal development and revenue diversification.
‘Looking ahead, our initiatives to increase generation capacity by more than 154 MW, mostly drawn from pipeline projects in geothermal, over the next two years reflect our dedication to meeting the ever-growing demand for clean energy in Kenya,’ said Ogamba.
For his part, KenGen Managing Director and CEO, Eng Peter Njenga, reiterated the company’s 2024 priority focus areas, which he said will be on new technologies to generate more electricity using the existing power plants.
‘We are on course with new initiatives to increase generation capacity by more than 154 MW over the next two years through the rehabilitation and up-rating of existing assets, showcasing our commitment to meeting the rising demand for clean ener
gy in Kenya,’ said Eng. Njenga.
KenGen is also betting on diversification in geothermal consultancy and its green energy park in Olkaria to drive its financial sustainability in both the current and coming years.
Source: Kenya News Agency