Produce graduates with self-employment minds, VETA urged

THE Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr Francis Michael, has challenged the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) to produce quality and self-employable graduates.

Speaking to VETA leaders and staff in Dodoma, Dr Michael said the government’s mission is to have education that will help graduates to think and explore opportunities available and use them to improve their lives and contribute to the national economy.

Dr Michael explained that the desire of President Samia Suluhu Hassan is to see that graduates can be self-employed or become employers to other Tanzanians.

He said that the authority must ensure that all courses offered should impart education, skills and knowledge as well as self-confidence for graduates to use the opportunities that arise around them to create employment opportunities.

“We need to produce graduates who think and have the ability to generate wealth from the opportunities around them, we have decided to go for competency-based education, meaning that VETA’s sole responsibility to prepare and produce competent graduates,” said Dr Michael.

He advise the authority’s management to introduce more competence based courses capable to meet diverse economic perspectives including starting courses in agriculture.

He also urged the management and instructors of the technical colleges in the country to ensure that morals and discipline among students are improved in order to continue strengthening the national values.

During the visit, Dr Michael also listened and gave explanations on various challenges from the employees of that authority.

One of the challenges that the staff of the authority identified is that of an increasing number of staff posted in an acting position roles within the institution for quite sometimes, leading to delays in making important decisions because they lacked full authority.

In solving the challenge, Dr Michael asked the insitution’s director of human resources to list all positions that are being served in acting capacity, and present them to the relevant authorities for them to appoint the qualified individuals for the post in full capacity.

“This is a problem because even the Director General is working in acting capacity. I’m told that there are people who have been acting for two years, this is not right, we have to work on it,” said Dr Michael.

Along with that, Dr Michael visited and inspected a furniture manufacturing workshop owned by the authority located in Dodoma City.

For his part VETA Acting Director CPA Anthony Mzee Kasore thanked Dr Michael for his visit at the institution. He promised to carry out and implement all the directives he issued for the improvement.

CPA Kasore said the authority has planned to ensure the provision of skills training in the country to support the government’s efforts in solving employment challenges in the country.