Jua Kali artisans will now get university degrees and college diplomas based on various skills and competencies.
This comes after a government developed guidelines that recognize informal skills gained over time which will enable skilled labor who do not rely on formal academic papers be assessed and given a certificate.
The new government initiative dubbed Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a way of assessment where learners get recognition of knowledge, skills, competence, and understanding they already acquired.
Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) Director-General Dr. Juma Mukhwana said his institution has developed rules and regulations that allow recognized examination bodies to conduct recognition of prior learning.
The certificate will be treated like any other – like that of Kenya National Examination Council or university certificate – and candidates can use it to look for jobs outside the country or even proceed studies,” Mukhwana said as reported by The People Daily.
Mukhwana further noted that it is a common norm across the world that learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms.
Before the certificate is issued to the candidate, Mukhwana said he or she will be first monitored on what qualification to seek, based on their competencies.
“Once you gain a Level Three certificate, even if you have never been in secondary school it allows you to process… if the next level is university it will allow you to be admitted and nobody will ask you for your KCSE or KCPEÂ certificate,” Mukhwana said as quoted by the local daily.
The assessment of the candidates will be according to KNQA standards. The participants will either pass to be awarded or will be advised whether to practice more.
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According to Mukhwana, the assessment will be based on standards and if the experts feel like it is too high for a candidate then they will be guided on which level to start with and then be issued with a certificate of competence.
The DG added that the move is guided by the fact that those in the informal sector have been forgotten yet they contribute significantly to the country’s economy.
