Lilongwe, (MaraviPost): In a bid to improve quality standards of entrepreneurship and vocational trainings with relevant certificates for global recognition, all is set for the country to have one examination board, The Maravi Post has learnt.
Currently, Malawi has three main examination boards on entrepreneurship and vocational education namely Malawi Examination Board (Maneb), Malawi Trade Test (MTT) and Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocation Education and Training (TEVET) which for some years they haven’t had perfectly complemented to each other rather duplications issuing of certification.
TEVET’s Acting Executive Director, Wilson Makulumiza Nkhoma disclosed the development to The Maravi Post in an exclusive interview on Friday evening, when Tevet hosted its central region stakeholders aimed at briefing them on the current updates.
Nkhoma told the Maravi Post that the examination board whose strictures’ settings were at an advanced stage will harmonise all entrepreneurship and vocational trainings curriculum with quality assurance through common tailor-made training among others.
“The coming in of community colleges, private owned informal sector entrepreneurship training are becoming a burden to all three examination boards namely Tevet, Trade Test and Maneb. So, it was necessary as a regulatory authority to look into the challenge hence the idea to have one examination board which will look into certification and conducting exams.
“Tevet’s role in this arrangement will be monitoring and ensuring that entrepreneurship trainings are offered in line with the local demand and globally. With one certificate issued by this board will address duplication of certificates on the market which have lowered the standards”, explains Nkhoma.
He however, warned the general public to consult his organisation when enrolling entrepreneurship trainings as there were mushrooms of bogus training institutions in the country claiming certified by Tevet saying that will serve their resources and time.
“Tevet is aware of bogus institutions claiming that have been certified by us for formal trainings which while we issued them attendance certificate type of trainings. We will keep trucking them down to be the level were registered for otherwise we are losing out as a nation.
“So, the public must check we us when enrolling with these schools to avoid embarrassment and waste of resources for a thing which isn’t recognized by appointing authority”, urges Nkhoma.
Tevet was established in 1999 by an Act of Malawi’s Parliament with the mandate to promote and regulate sustainable provision of quality technical, entrepreneurial and vocational education and training for Malawian workforce in a socially responsible manner.
Currently, Tevet has partnered with the World Bank in a four-year Skills Development Project worthy US$45.5 million whose implementation starts in July, 2015 and will focus on area of higher education and increase in accessing market relevance and results orientation of supported skills development.
