INTRODUCING ICT AS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCY IN TVET -MALAWICURRICULUM IN MALAWI

1. INTRODUCING ICT AS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCY IN TVET -MALAWICURRICULUM IN MALAWI PRESENTED BY: WILSON MAKULUMIZA NKHOMA DIRECTOR OF TECNICAL SERVICES FOR TEVETA-MALAWI

2. BACK GROUND TO TEVET REFORM IN MALAWI • The Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA) was created in 1999 through an Act of Parliament following studies that were undertaken as part of the reform process

3. CHARATERISICS OF TVET BEFORE REFORM The TVET system was characterised by the following: • Lack of national coherent demand-driven policy • Minimal involvement of the private sector • Inappropriate legislation guidelines and bylaws • Non responsive and inflexible institutional structures • Limited national technical qualifications system based on outdated curricula • Insufficient, unsustainable financial base and ineffective financing mechanisms

4. STRATEGIC PLANS • To broaden equitabIe order to mitigate on the short comings and improve the system, strategic plans have been developed with specific goals. • The current strategic plan which spans from 2007 to 2012 has four goal • Goal 2 and 3 are relevant for this presentation • To increase access to quality TVET programmes • To effectively regulate the training market.

5. VISION To ensure that Malawi attains a situation where there is: An adequate and sustainable generation of internationally competitive skilled workforce capable of spearheading the country's production and export-led socioeconomic growth in a socially responsible manner.

6. MISSION STATEMENT To direct sustainable acquisition of internationally competitive and recognisable technical, entrepreneurial and vocational skills by Malawian workforce.

7. ACHIEVEMENTS IN CURRICULUM REFORM • Development and gazetting of TQF rules • Development of CBET curricula in 9 new occupations • Tailoring, Thatching, Water plant operator, Food production, Sign language, Administrative studies, Fisheries, Instrumentation, Professional driver • Review of 15 old curricula and changed to CBET format. • Implementation of the reviewed curricula

8. DESIGN OF THE TQF CURRICULUM • A full qualification constitutes 120 credits with • 90 credits occupational standards and 30 credits fundamental standards at level 1 (75%:25%) • 84 credits occupational standards and 36 credits fundamental standards at level 2 (70%:30%) • 78 credits occupational standards and 42 credits fundamental standards at level 3 (65%:35%) • 72 credits occupational standards and 48 credits fundamental standards at level 4 (60%:40%)

9. CREDITS FOR LEVEL 1 FUNDAMENTAL MODULES • Entrepreneurship 7 • Occupational safety health 7 • Numeracy 4 • Communication 5.5 • Science 6.5 • Total credits 30

10. POST IMPLEMETATION FINDINGS • Formative evaluation after 5 years of implementation of the new curricula has revealed the following: • Some content of communications modules not relevant to some trades e.g., the depth of TD content for food production and general fitting trainees. • Some communications modules content not comprehensive enough e.g., absence of CAD in technical drawing modules • Total absence of ICT as a fundamental competency

11. INTERVENTION • ICT to be one of the fundamental competencies for all TVET trainees • Scope of coverage for graphical communication to be specified for certain occupations • Graphical communication to include CAD

12. CONTENT OF THE ICT CURRICULA • Experts in the field of ICT from industry, assessment bodies and training institutions will articulate the content of the curricula. • In a nut shell micro-soft word, power point, email, internet, excel may be part of the content.

13. USEFULNESS TO FUTURE TVET TRAINEE NEEDS • Important for further education. • Getting information from the internet • Analysing data on the computer for education purposes • Important for ease of record keeping and retrieval for teachers and other professionals • Important for development of teaching and learning materials

14. USEFULNESS TO FUTURE TVET TRAINEE NEEDS • Useful for developing one’s own teaching and learning material-for teachers • Useful for those intending to specialise in open and distance learning materials development. Very useful especially in the wake of the ODL developments in the SADC member states

15. TIME-FRAME • The TQF curricula is supposed to be reviewed every 3 years. Time in over due for reviewed therefore as the curricula will be reviewed, the ICT issue will be included

16. IMPLICATIONS • This has implications on the design of the TQF as it only stipulates 5 areas of fundamental competencies no more no less. • It also stipulates 120 credits for a qualification no more no less.

17. Making ICT as a stand alone module will increase the number of fundamental modules to 6 which is not provided for in the TQF • On the other hand making ICT to be part of the communications module will make it too big

18. IMPLICATIONS • Making ICT as one of the fundamental competencies will make some of the private training providers that we utilise to train the apprentices fall out as only very few training providers have the appropriate facilities.

19. CONCLUSION AGAINST ALL ODDS ICT HAS TOBE INCLUDED IN THE TVET CURRICULUM FOR MALAWI AS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCE

20. Asante sana Zikomokwambiri Thank you very much FOR YOUR LISTENING