FACTORS AFFECTING ENROLMENT OF WOMEN IN TECHNICAL COURSES AT DIPLOMA LEVEL IN TIVET INSTITUTIONS

DECLARATIONS

This thesis is my original work and has not been submitted for a degree in any other university. No part of this thesis may be reproduced without prior knowledge of the author or Moi University.

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ABSTRACT

The goals of Education have centrally been concerned with access to quality education and training. Hence denying individuals access to education and training denies them their human rights and an opportunity to develop their talents.

The patterns of female school enrolment in Africa and elsewhere in the world are slow to change even though it is widely recognized that women should have the same educational opportunities available to them as men. Cultural prejudice, male domination, lack of education and exposure are some of the factors that have worked against women in the technical areas.

This study examined factors affecting enrolment of women in technical courses at diploma level. The study concentrated on four technical training institutions in western region of Kenya namely Sigalagala Technical Training Institute, Sang’alo Institute of Science and Technology, Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology, and Kitale Technical Training Institute.

Simple Random Sampling method was used for lecturers and other trainees while Stratified Random Sampling method was used for the female trainees in the technical courses to ensure their inclusion the study. Data was collected through questionnaires and personal interviews and analyzed using the chi-square and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significance.

Analysis of the data set running from 1996 to 2005 revealed that there is significant difference in the enrollment of women and men in the technical courses. The results from interview schedules indicate that there is no significant difference between the drop out cases of men and women in the technical courses at diploma level.

Based on those revelations, women should be encouraged to pursue technical courses to empower them and allow them to compete favorably with men for opportunities in employment. This will enable them participate in development initiatives essential for the achievement of vision 2030. Hence management staff should be induced on the strategies that encourage more women enroll for these courses.

The study further recommended that women who have excelled in sciences and technical courses be included in policy making so as to represent their interests at higher levels. This will go a long way in enhancing the enrolment of women in the technical courses at diploma level of training which will in turn increase the supply of manpower for the industry.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank the almighty God for his grace and mercies which have enabled me to come this far. I would like to acknowledge my supervisors, Prof. Kerre and Prof. Simiyu for the valuable assistance and guidance they offered during the study. My gratitude goes to all lecturers in the department of Technology Education for their encouragement throughout the course.

I am also indebted to my husband and children for their patience and continued support that enabled me produce this document with ease. My special appreciation goes to my parents who continued to encourage and support me in my academic pursuit.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

LIST OF TABLES

Table 01 Enrolment in the department of Technology Education from 1995-2004….....12

Table 02: Choice of course for the female students……………………………………..33

Table 03: Enrolment in the Building Construction course from 1996-2005……………34

Table 04: Enrolment in the Electrical Engineering course from 1996-2005……………35

Institutions…………………………………………………………………...37

Table 06: Independence among women during practical lessons……………………….40

Table 07: Experience with learning equipment and materials…………………………..41

Table 08: Practical task completion……………………………………………………..41

Training………………………………………………………………………42

Table 10: Chi-Square Analysis for Drop out cases …………………………………….44

Table 11: Need for restructure of the syllabi……………………………………………45

Table 12: Emphasis of certain areas during the training………………………………..46

TIVET institutions……………………………………………………………47

Table 14: Two way ANOVA…………………………………………………………...48

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 01: Conceptional framework showing the process of training in TIVET………..8

Figure 02: Career path for TIVET Graduates…………………………………………...20

Figure 03: Training offered suits men more than women………………………............36

Figure 04: Performance of women not different from men……………………………..38

Figure 05: Lack of speed for women in competing tasks……………………………….39

Figure 06: Drop out rate…………………………………………………………............44

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Questionnaire for administrators…………………………………………..64

Appendix 2: Questionnaire for lecturers………………………………………………...67

Appendix 3: Questionnaire for female trainees in the technical fields………………….70

Appendix 4: Questionnaire for female trainees in the non technical fields……………..73

Appendix 5: Questionnaire for male trainees…………………………………………...76

Appendix 6: Interview schedule………………………………………………………...79

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This chapter introduces the representation of women in the education sector, background to the study, problem statement, purpose of the study, hypotheses and the significance of the study. The conceptual framework, limitations and assumptions of the study and definition of terms are also presented.

Background Information

In Sub-Saharan Africa, as in other many regions of the world, patterns of the female school enrolment are slow to change, even though it is widely recognized that women should have the same educational opportunities available to them as men (UNESCO, 1974). In this perspective governments have for many years been implementing reforms to establish equality of opportunity between gender (Atchoarena and Delluc, 2002). The effect of this process will be felt only in the long term as it is necessary to change ingrained attitudes concerning women’s place and role in society.

At the international level, girls in Malawi are hardly represented at all in primary and lower secondary technical schools, making an average of 4.6 per cent of such enrolment from 1989 to 1993 (UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, 1999).In some other countries such as Benin, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Togo, Botswana, Chad, and Guinea, the proportion of girls in technical and vocational education stood at 30-35 per cent in 1995/1996, (Atchoarena and Delluc, 2002).

In Kenya female enrolment in SMT-related courses in TIVET institutions is extremely low. In 1998 it stood at only 1.4 per cent in mechanical engineering, 4.4 per cent in electrical and electronics engineering, and 5.0 per cent in building and civil engineering (Gender policy in Education, 2007).

The Kenyan government developed a new educational system in 1963 to satisfy individual and national needs (Eshiwani, 1993). The government had to have a legal framework for her education, which defined educational needs from an ideological angle. The ruling party Kenya African National Union (KANU) put education as a high priority in its election manifesto preceding independence. Owing to increase in demand for higher education and the need for highly qualified manpower the government came up with more acts in 1980s ( Eshiwani, 1993). The Moi University Act 1984(Act No 4 of 1984) established Moi University which was intended to have a technology orientation. This was to ensure provision of manpower for the industry.

The history of technical / industrial education in Kenya is paradoxical. While during the colonial period it was despised by Africans, in the independence era, it became their ewe lamb (Bogonko, 1992). This has been especially true of the leadership. Before independence the colonial masters everywhere in the country saw the importance of giving Africans technical industrial education in two senses mainly. First the products of this education would help the colonizers to tame and then exploit the vast resources of Kenya. Secondly, the African would not be sharpened intellectually as it happened in India, to the extend of challenging European hegemony in Kenya. Although at the beginning of the independence era, Kenya faced shortages of manpower all round, specifically lacking was skilled manpower in technical commercial and science related fields (Bogonko, 1992). The major snag in the middle and high level manpower lay in the scarcity of such personnel as engineers, doctors, surveyors, agronomists, technicians, scientists and architects. In 1966 the Kenyan government lamented that shortages of technical and other professional and skilled personnel threatened to delay and frustrate its efforts to modernize and expand economy as well as slow down Africanisation of the social and economic life of the nation. Consequently technical education was given a high priority at secondary and higher education (Bogonko, 1992) since science, technology and mathematics were more emphasized than the arts and social science subjects. This was the gist of the recommendation of the Gachathi Report of 1976 and Mackay report of 1981. Indeed this also became the thrust of the 8.4.4 system of education since 1985. With the introduction of 8.4.4 system all the technical secondary schools were converted into technical training institutes to offer technical courses both at certificate and diploma level.

As much as the government of Kenya emphasizes “Technical Education for acquisition of skills and alleviation of the school leaver unemployment,” the crises in gender imbalances have not been adequately redressed. The master plan on education and training 1997-2010 in Kenya (1998) and Sessional paper number 5 of 2005 stresses reducing disparities in relation to gender as one of the objectives and polices of vocational and technical education. However, this is not reflected in the enrolments in TIVET institutions.

Problem Statement

There is inadequate information on factors that influence girls’ choices for technical fields of study given the history of stereotyping these courses. This study was therefore meant to examine the women enrolment patterns in technical courses at diploma level in the TIVET institutions in western Kenya.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting the enrolment of women in the technical courses at diploma level in the TIVET institutions in western Kenya.

Significance of the Study

Investing in education and training is an investment in the future. Knowledge and skills are the engine of economic growth and social development (UNESCO and ILO, 2002).

TIVET systems must be open and all – inclusive to give even the most underprivileged access to learning and training (UNESCO and ILO, 2002). Since women belong to this group of the underprivileged, they should be given the opportunity in the communities to equip themselves with skills to enable them lead productive and satisfying lives for the prosperity and well being of the community (Kerr and Sprenger, 1987).

Kenya’s current development policy is aimed at achieving a newly industrialized status by the year 2020, as outlined in several public documents and particularly Sessional paper No. 2 of 1996 (Republic of Kenya, 1996) and the National Development plan 1997-2002.

This study will assist in enabling the government to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the industrialization target by the year 2020 and vision 2030 in which TIVET has been identified as critical in realizing its pillars in the economic, social and political contexts (Kerre, 2010).

Increased enrolment of women in the technical courses will enhance the objective of furnishing the future manpower with requisite skills and knowledge since they are more than 50% of the country’s population (Republic of Kenya, 1999).

This study will also provide necessary information to educators and other stakeholders concerned with equity in provision of education and also help policy makers to develop deliberate policies to correct gender imbalances in skill training and acquisition. It will further help the teaching fraternity adapt teaching methods that meet the need of female students.

Objectives of the Study

To examine the trend of enrolment of women studying technical courses in relation to men at diploma level over a ten year period (1996-2005)

To determine the constraints encountered by the women studying technical courses at diploma level at the time of enrolment and training.

To examine if there are any drop outs among the women studying technical courses at diploma level.

To make recommendations for ways of enhancing the enrolment and participation of women in the technical courses at diploma level.

Research Questions

Are there any cases of drop outs for the women who enroll in the technical courses at diploma level?

Is there enhancement of enrolment of women in the technical courses at diploma level?

Hypotheses

H01: There is no significant difference in the enrolment of women and men studying technical courses at diploma level over a ten year period (1996-2005).

H02: There are no constraints encountered by women during enrolment and training in technical courses at diploma level.

H03: There are no significant drop out rates among women who enroll in the technical courses at diploma level.

H04: There is no enhancement of the enrolment of women in the technical courses at diploma level.

Conceptual Framework

The concept of women’s rights is rooted in history rather than culture (Kerr and Sprenger, 1987). Historically, the role and status assigned to women are remarkably similar across the world. Until relatively recently, nowhere in the world could women choose a field of education, train for a job, get a job or paid equally if they were given a job, nor could they marry, have children, space their children, get a divorce property nor travel by their own free choice. (Kerr and Sprenger, 1987). Women continued to play a more important role in society, but few practical changes to their position took place legally until the beginning of the last century. The contribution that women make to the economic, social and political lives of their nations, communities, families and the next generation make them key actors in effective development. (USAID, 2005). More than 500 million women are economically active worldwide in agriculture, small and micro-enterprise and increasing in the export processing industries that drive globalization. Over 10 percent of these women live in development regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Women unemployment rates remain high relative to those of men, and when employed that are paid less than are for the same work. It is not surprising then, that women constitute 60 percent of the rural poor.

Limitations on women’s legal rights and participation in the society are widespread. Political leadership positions are still largely occupied by men although women have increasingly provided dynamic leadership in the non- governmental (NGO) and small enterprise sector (USAID, 2005).

Legal restrictions on women’s land and property ownership continue to hamper women’s ability to acquire productive assets and to reduce their vulnerability when family or other crises affect them. Girl’s education has been shown to have a dramatic impact on women’s earning power and on families’ welfare but progress towards gender equality in education still lags both in absolute terms and relative to those of boys (USAID, 2005).

Female and male trainees enroll for technical courses in TIVET institutions. Some drop out but some continue and join the world of work after completing their training.

Limitations of the Study

The study will be limited to the public TIVET institutions offering technical courses up to diploma level in western Kenya.

Assumptions of the study

All the records in the registers of the institutions were accurate and up to date.

Affirmative action - Action taken on temporary basis in favour of a disadvantaged

Technology - The knowledge available with scientific and industrial method for

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction.

The Literature reviewed here looked at women’s access to technical skill training at diploma level and job opportunities in the developed world (USA), developing countries (Africa) and Kenyan in particular.

Geographical, cultural and historical marginalization of women in society continues to be distressingly universal. This is to say that where the relationship between women and men is taken into consideration, every country experiences tension that obstructs women’s full participation in the social, economic and political life of the community (Kelly, 1994).

Previous Research

Studies carried out in the United States of America, for instance (Snyder and Rensefied, 1994) reveal that until recently women were expected to choose home making careers, that are aimed at making them good housewives in for example, sewing, cookery, knitting to mention a few. As a result women workers in America tended to be segregated into a few occupations that often were designed as women’s and were among the lowest paid.

Women could not easily enter certain male dominated careers and professions. Access to such lucrative careers was restricted to the privileged few and this made the supply of labour to those careers low, resulting in inflated wages and salaries. Home making careers rarely lead to gainful employment in modern industrial sector. The result is low wages for women relative to men (Snyder, 1994).

Available literature on African countries for instance Nigeria (Bappa, 1985) Zimbabwe and Botswana (World Bank, 1993), reveal a similar trend. These studies conclude that participation of women in skill training and university was very low and that female students were largely found in the faculty of Arts. From this literature, it is clear that both in the developing and developed world, women have been trained mainly in certain fields. The reason why this gender gap in education persists lies in a complex of economic and cultural factors that are derived from home, school, communities and nations at large (King and Hull, 1993).

The training of women in home making careers while depicting them to be able to be more intelligent and capable of being leaders, doctors, and engineers has contributed towards occupational segregation and that of overcrowding females in certain occupations and lowering their marginal productivity (Bardouille, 1992) and ( Munachonga, 1989).

In Kenya, few women are enrolled in colleges or universities in any academic fields, and science and technology is no exception. But experts are concentrating on closing the gender gap in this important arena (Republic of Kenya, 2008). At Moi University, department of Technology which is based at Chepkoilel Campus, the figures in enrolment indicate the same trend as shown in table 01.

Table 01: Enrolment in the department of Technology Education from 1995-2004

Source: Moi University, Chepkoilel Campus Department of Technology Education.

According to the Government of Kenya (1994) girls’ education problem started during the colonial times when the white man educated boys so as to serve as clerks while girls were left at home to collect firewood and cook.

The number of girls joining technical institutions and science colleges was still low. The situation was similar in the universities where the number of male lecturers was much higher than that of women.

The highest percentage of females in technical training institutes was 45.7 per cent in 2004 (Gender Policy in Education, 2007). However, female enrolment in national polytechnics has not surpassed 39 per cent between 1999 and 2004. Further, female enrolment in science, mathematics and technology related courses in TIVET institutions are extremely low. In 1998, it stood at only 1.4 per cent in mechanical engineering, 4.4 per cent in electrical and electronics engineering, and 5.0 per cent in building and civil engineering (Gender Policy in Education, 2007).

The government is committed to increase the number of women scientific courses in the education system (Republic of Kenya, 2000). The low ratio of women in these courses comes at a time when statistics indicate declining numbers of women at all levels of the educational system (www.arcc.or.ke/gln/edugirl.html, 2005).

While 63 percent of school – aged girls enroll in school every year, only a third complete the 8-year primary school cycle. Half of boys do so. Girls drop out rate increases at secondary school resulting in their very small numbers in universities (Republic of Kenya, 2000). The ministry of Education attributes the gender disparity to early pregnancies, parental preference for boys to attend school, and female circumcision. Female circumcision, illegal in Kenya since December 2001, is still practiced in some communities. It is considered a rite of passage into adulthood, and girls often get married or simply do not return to school after healing from the procedure. Increasing levels of poverty have also worsened the problem for both boys and girls. School enrolment rate for young children was 96 percent but in 1990 but now stands at 78 percent (www.acts.or.ke 2005).

Some education experts have blamed an entrenched culture of male dominance for discouraging girls from achieving academic excellence. According to Mutua as cited in WEnews Correspondence (2005), sexual harassment is a serious constraint to performance of girls in co-educational institutions.

In addition to these concerns, Kenya Educational System has come under sharp criticism for stifling the potential of girl students in secondary schools to qualify for scientific courses at Universities. In reaction to these concerns, the government in 1999 appointed a committee to investigate possible reforms in the education system. The Koech Report proposed the scrapping of the present 8-4-4 system to be replaced by the British 7-4-2-3 system which was abandoned in 1985.

There is an urgent need for the government to make a critical review of science subjects’ content in primary and secondary schools if more women are to be encouraged to embrace the science (Wakhungu, 1999). Accordingly science subjects at primary and secondary school level hinder students’ interest in scientific disciplines by creating a notion that they are difficult. This affects girls more since culturally they are supposed to see men as more capable than them.

Some women educators are taking steps to try and pave the way for girls to study science and technology. Professor Rosalind Mutua has helped found the country’s first women university; Keriri University of science and technology. The University aims at bridging the gender gap in education in Kenya and specifically in science and technology courses. The aim is to encourage more women to take up the science and technology courses so that Kenya can produce more women scientists. It is believed that women have the potential to perform as well as their male counter parts in scientific fields if they are given a conducive atmosphere for study (www.acts.or.ke 2005).

Women who have succeeded in science and technology careers are giving encouragement to women students to venture into sciences. The Kenya Medical Women’s Association, a professional body for women doctors involves women medical students in its activities as associate members. The association aims at promoting health for women and children and the development of women in the medical profession. One of its goals is for the women to act as role models for women medical students. It is felt that efforts to increase the representation of women in science and technology should not be confined to education institutions. Conducive work environment for women should be created to allow progression. That is the best way to encourage young girls to aspire for science and technology careers (www.acts.or.ke 2005).

Historical Overview of TIVET

Technical training as an art began in Kenya very long time ago. Long before the arrival of the Europeans, Kenyans knew how to build their own houses, make agricultural equipment, spears, knives, hoes, axes, cooking utensils and pottery. Traditionally, these skills were passed on from parents to offspring within the family or clan in form of apprenticeship system (Okaka, 1997).

The coming of the Europeans and the decision to build the Kenya – Uganda railway which attracted the India traders and labourers were instrumental in the training of artisans and craftsmen at Kabete Native and Training Deport starting from 1924. The Christian Missionaries brought in technicians and made an effort to train Kenyans in the different skills to assist in the maintenance of the services and the operations of the railway (Okaka, 1997).

Growth and Development of TIVET

The Second World War brought a greater influx of people, more sophisticated equipment machinery and a greater need for training. Army Corps was established and recruitment on a very large scale began among Kenyans. There was need for drivers, mechanics, builders, electricians, welders, carpenters and clerks (Okaka, 1997).

In the early fifties the industrial depots were upgraded to vocational schools and come early sixties they were again converted to secondary vocational schools. Another major breakthrough for the technical and vocational training in Kenya was the setting up of a commission for higher education in the 1954 whose main recommendation was the establishment of the Royal Technical College, Nairobi. This Institution later became Nairobi University College and thereafter, University of Nairobi. The Mombasa Institute of Moslem Education was already in existence having been established in 1918 to provide technical and vocational education to Moslem students of East Africa. In 1969, it was converted to Mombasa Technical Institute and later became Mombasa Polytechnic in 1972. It is now Mombasa Polytechnic University College.

In 1961, the Kenya Polytechnic was established to provide basic craft courses, which were phased out in 1966 following the introduction of similar courses in technical vocational schools (Okaka, 1997). It is now Kenya Polytechnic University College offering courses at degree and diploma level.

Since independence there has been a tremendous growth and development of technical and vocational education and training. As a result of direct government involvement and community participation in the late 1960s and 1970s, the government developed industrial education in 35 secondary schools. At the same time 18 technical secondary schools were established. The technical schools were later converted into training institutes in 1986 and started offering artisan courses. In 1987 there were 4 national polytechnics, 26 Technical Training Institutes, 17 Institutes of technology, 4 vocational training programmes for school leavers run by Government ministries, parastastals, non – governmental organizations, industrial firms and private individuals (Kerre, 2001).

Today there are two (2) Polytechnic University Colleges, Kenya University College in Nairobi and Mombasa University College in Coast Province (both of which were converted from national polytechnics), two national polytechnics, Kisumu and Eldoret, and one technical teachers college, KTTC in Nairobi ( Kerre, 2010). There are twenty six (26) Technical Training Institutes (TTIs) and seventeen (17) Institutes of Technology (ITs) spread across all provinces but with greater concentration in urban areas and/ or high potential areas. There are over nine hundred (900) other VTIs operated by the private sector, NGOs and Religious Organizations in the country. There has been no significant change in the number of TTIs and ITs. However, the number of Youth Polytechnics and private sector TIVET institutions rose by 8 per cent and 6 per cent respectively (Kerre, 2010).

Education Commissions and Committees

Over the last thirty eight years Kenya has been independent, the government has continuously reviewed the education and training system so as to ensure that it serves and satisfies the aspirations of the country’s youth as well as cater for the wider interests of national development (Republic of Kenya, 1984). Various commissions and committees have been set up to investigate and recommend ways and means of achieving the National education and training objective.

The Ominde Report (Republic of Kenya, 1964) stressed the role of education in manpower development for secondary education to make it serve the needs of Kenyans.

Gachathi Report (Republic of Kenya, 1976) criticized the 7:4:2:3 system of Education and advocated for a restructured school system. It also advocated for an increase on pre- vocational studies.

The Mackay Report (Republic of Kenya, 1981) recommended, among other things, a change in the Kenyan Education system from the 7:4:2:3 to 8:4:4 system of education which was to augment the school curriculum with knowledge, skills and attitudes that would enable graduates to contribute effectively in practical skills and exhibit favorable attitudes towards work. The government of Kenya in March 1982 accepted this recommendation, and its implementation started in January 1985. As an implementation strategy the education system was divided into four cycles; Primary Education Programme, Secondary Education Programme, Technical Education Programme and University Education Programme. In the 8:4:4 system of education, each cycle is terminal. The curricula developed are diversified to incorporate vocational oriented at all levels (Kerre, 2001).

Training

Barrow and Milburn (1990) define training as preparing oneself by performing a set of instructions, so as to draw in a desired manner and bring one’s body and knowledge a high pitch of efficiency. This means that training a person provides him or her with the know-how or the ability to perform certain actions from a variety of perspectives.

In Kenya, a broad range of technical and vocational subjects are offered in formal and non- formal Institutions from primary to higher or degree level. At primary level, the following TVET subjects are taken: Art and Craft, Home Science, Agriculture, Business Education and Music. The intention at this level is to create some occupational awareness and positive attitude towards work (Kerre, 2001).

At secondary school level the subjects offered include: Home Science, Art and Design Agriculture, Woodwork, Metal work, Building Construction, Power Mechanics, Electricity, Drawing and Design, Accounting, Commerce, Economics, Typing Office Practice and Aviation Technology. At this level, the students are given opportunity to explore and, if possible, take some early specialization in an area of their liking.

At craft and Artisan level multi-skilled courses lasting two to three years are offered and comprises of 80-90% practical component and the rest support subjects. At Technician (Diploma) level courses are offered to graduates of craft programmes and secondary school leavers (Kerre, 2001).

TIVET programmes are expected to provide opportunities for individuals to learn the practical, cognitive, social and personal skills that will enable them function at the work place and as members of society. They are also to provide progress within their occupational area and serve as an avenue for further training (Kerre 2010).

According to Kiamba (2008), technical training needs to be strongly supported for the country to compete effectively with other nations. The implementation of the TIVET path in the total education system needs to be clarified for the development of the country (Education watch, vol 016 October-November 2006).

TIVET Vocational Certificate level I (with two options: option one for those who would exit to the work places or self employment and level two for those who would continue with further education and training)

TIVET Vocational Certificate Level II (with two options as defined in level I above)

Aims and Strategies of TIVET

According to Master plan of education and training 1997-2010, P114 (Republic of Kenya 1998) the aims of TIVET as outlined among other things are:

To inculcate the vocational and entrepreneurial skills necessary for self-employment.

To develop the scientific, technological, Practical and attitudinal skills needed for specific jobs in various trades, vocations and professions.

To develop avenues for skills improvement and further training in TIVET Institutions.

Raising the quality and relevance of TIVET Programs by developing relevant curricula and examination, the provision of essential technologies and materials, and the establishment of effective and management system of the TIVET Institutions.

Improve resource mobilization, allocation and accountability by creating an effective decentralized management framework and increase the efficiency of resource utilization by linking the provision of funds to defined programmed activities and priorities.

Role of TIVET in Training Provision

TIVET Programmes serve individuals by imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes that will be used to procure gainful employment (Kerre, 1997). With increasing technological development and liberalized world markets, any country’s technical and vocational training system will increasingly become decisive in determining the competitive strength and level of development of its economy. In Kenya today, TIVET is offered in three distinctive ways namely: -

The formal way comprises of enrolment in TIVET subjects at primary, secondary school level and post – school Institutions.

The non- formal comprising of those enrolled in TIVET programs in private institutions supported by churches, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individual proprietors. These institutions are temporary.

The informal way that has gained prominence where the youths take up apprenticeships where they work with experienced artisans and craftsmen before venturing into their own self-employment. It is estimated that the informal sector (Jua Kali) where they work with experienced artisans and craftsmen before venturing into their own self- employment. It is estimated that the informal sector in Kenya absorbs around 70% of the 0.5 million entrants into the labour force annually (Republic of Kenya, 1996).

Kerre (2010) notes that there are less female students taking engineering than the males. However, Health and Applied Sciences had a large number of female students at 60.3 per cent in the national polytechnics and polytechnic universities. The total enrolment figures show that female students made up 39.46 per cent of the registered students in the national polytechnics. Health and Applied Sciences courses had the highest enrolment followed by Business Studies and Engineering respectively (Kerre 2010, pg 25).

It is apparent from the above literature review that TIVET provision has not been gender sensitive. It is therefore necessary to examine factors affecting the enrolment of women in the technical courses considering the benefits of educating women. As Summers (1990) concludes investment in the girls’ education may well be the highest return on investment available in the developing world. Attainment of gender equity and equality in technical education should therefore be a core development issue and a goal in its own right.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

Introduction

This chapter discusses the research design and methodology used in conducting the study including the target population and sampling procedures. The description of instruments used to collect data and the techniques used in analyzing the data are also discussed.

Research Design

The research design for this study was categorized under the descriptive research. The concern in this research was to describe the characteristics of a group and in this case the female students studying technical courses at diploma level. According to Kothari (1985), descriptive researches are those research studies which are concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual, or of a group. They are studies concerned with specific predictions, with narration of facts and characteristics concerning individuals.

Target Population

This research was carried out in the Western part of Kenya. The population was drawn from four technical training institutions namely Kitale Technical Training Institute, San’galo Institute of Science and Technology, Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology and Sigalagala Technical Training Institute. These institutions were chosen because they offer technical courses up to diploma level.

Stratified random sampling was used for female trainees so as to achieve the desired their subgroups in the target population. This type of sampling ensured inclusion of subgroups which otherwise would be omitted entirely by other sampling methods because of their small numbers in the population. The subgroups in this case were the female trainees studying the technical courses at diploma level and the administrators. For the lecturers and the other trainees, simple random sampling procedure was used.

The participants in this study were drawn from 5 categories of people as stated below:

The respondents were drawn from administrators, lecturers and trainees sampled from the target population.

Twenty female trainees studying technical courses at diploma level four chosen randomly from each institution.

Twenty female trainees studying non-technical courses at diploma level four chosen randomly from each institution.

Research Instruments

The instruments used for this research were self administered questionnaires, students’ registers and interview schedules. The questionnaires for administrators, lecturers and trainees focused on obtaining data to establish their opinion on trends in the enrolment of women in the technical courses and constraints encountered by the women who enroll for such courses. The registers provided data on the number of women who enroll for the technical courses and drop out rates. Interview schedules were used as guides to allow for probing to seek more information on gender equity in the technical courses at diploma level.

Reliability of the Instruments.

Reliability is a measure of the degree to which a research instrument yields consistent results or data after repeated trials (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). Similarly, a reliable instrument will yield consistent results when used across varied samples of participants.

To ensure reliability, the first drafts of the instruments were presented to the supervisors for opinion on the format and content in gender equity. Their opinions were incorporated in the final drafts.

The instruments were piloted by administering them to respondents of Eldoret Polytechnic and Rift Valley Technical Training Institute which offer courses similar to those of the institutions in the study.

Validity of the Questionnaires

According to Mugenda and Mugenda (1999) validity is the degree to which results obtained from the analysis of the data actually represent the phenomena under study. Validity, therefore, has to do with how accurately the data obtained in the study represents the variables of the study. However, a measurement can be reliable without being valid, but a measurement cannot be both unreliable and valid. A valid instrument should, thus reflect accurately the variable under study.

The design of the questionnaire was such that emphasis was on the possible limitations and drawbacks. The questionnaires were discussed with subject specialists in the Department of Technology Education Moi University, Chepkoilel campus and thus validated.

Data Collection

Data was collected over a period of four months; such that one month was spent at each institution.

Documents including student’s registers and progress books. These provided analysis on the number of women enrolled for technical courses.

Interviews held with administrators, lecturers and women taking technical courses in a conversational manner. A semi-structured interview guide was used. This method enabled the researcher to change the sequence of questioning as need be. It also allowed for probing and seeking clarification where necessary.

Students filled self-administered questionnaires in session. This allowed them to freely express their opinions and ensured anonymity, as names were not asked for. It provided information on the attitude of both men and women towards women studying courses traditionally studied by men.

Two focus discussions; one with females only and the other with male only was carried out at each institution with students who filled the questionnaires. Women’s discussions were separated from the men’s so that each group could give their views freely.

Data Analysis

A self - administered questionnaire was used to collect data. This was convenient because the data collected was easily coded, tabulated and analyzed. The questionnaires were constructed in a manner that reflected the specific issues of the study. The specific issues included the participation of women in technical training and their drop out cases among others. Responses of the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive techniques by tabulating them in form of tables and pie charts.

Interviews were used for qualitative analysis. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions for administrators, lecturers and trainees. Their responses were analyzed and compared with the responses from the questionnaires and the findings included in the discussions and conclusions.

Chi-square is a non-parametric test that is used where the level of measurement is either ordinal or nominal. This was used to test if there was significant difference in the enrolment of women and men, and if there were any constraints encountered by women during their training. The hypotheses were accepted if the Pearson’s value was greater than 0.05 the level of significance and rejected if it was less.

The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test if there were differences between means of different groups in different aspects of the study. The value of alpha was 0.05 for all the calculations.

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Introduction

This chapter discusses data representation of findings, analysis and interpretation of the findings. The main purpose of this chapter is to present the results of data analysis in a systematic way. The principle in the presentation of data is to give all the evidence relevant to the research objectives and questions.

Hypotheses

H01: There is no significant difference in the enrolment of women and men studying technical courses at diploma level over a ten year period (1995-2005).

H 02: There are no constraints encountered by women during enrolment and training in technical courses at diploma level.

H03: There are no cases of drop out among women who enroll in the technical courses at diploma level.

H04: There is no enhancement of the enrolment of women in the technical courses at diploma level.

Enrolment of Women in the Technical Courses

H01: There is no significant difference in the enrolment of women and men in the technical course at diploma level over a ten year period (1996-2005).

The opinions of administrators, lectures and trainees towards the women studying technical courses at diploma level were sought through questionnaires and classified in the following manner:

A strongly disagree response reflected a negative attitude; while a positive attitude was graded as strongly agree. This was in regard to whether the female students actually choose to study these courses or not. Other intermediate grades were; agree undecided and disagree.

All the female trainees sampled for this study reported to have chosen technical diploma course in TIVET institutions as indicated in the table 02.

From table 02 it was observed that all the females chose to study the technical courses which they are enrolled in. Results from the interview schedules and discussions with the female trainees showed that women have a positive attitude towards the technical courses and that is why they chose to study them at diploma level. This implied that the female students understand the importance of technical courses thus chose to study them at diploma level.

Source: Kitale Technical Training Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

By studying the tables 03 and 04 above, it was observed that the enrollment of females in the technical courses remains low compared to that of their male counterparts. In fact, for some years there were no females who enrolled for the technical courses.

Majority of the administrators and lecturers felt that the training offered in technical institutions was as suited for the women as for the men. This was reported by 50% of the administrators as shown in the pie chart in figure 03.

From the figure above it is clear that the training offered in the technical courses at diploma level do not suit men more than women yet the enrolment does not reflect this.

The Chi-Square analysis for the enrolment yielded the results shown in the table 05.

H01: There is no significant difference in the enrolment of women and men in the technical course at diploma level over a ten year period (1996-2005).

The hypothesis was rejected since the Pearson Chi-Square value of 0.041 was less than 0.05 which is the level of significance. This showed that there is a significant difference in the enrolment of men and women in the technical courses at diploma level. This was further supported by the study of the registers which showed a significant difference in the enrolment of women and men in the technical courses.

Performance of Women in the Technical Courses at Diploma Level

H02: There are no constraints encountered by women during enrolment and training in technical courses at diploma level.

According to the lecturers, the performance of women in technical courses is not different from that of the men as indicated in the bar graph in figure 04.

Figure 04: Performance of Women not Different from Men

Women do not lack speed in completing tasks. This was reported by the lecturers who responded to the questionnaires. By probing the lectures through the use of interview schedules it was further clarified that the women in the technical courses are able to complete tasks assigned to them within the given time. Therefore the task completion rate was not dependent on sex as shown in the pie chart in figure 05.

Figure 05: Lack of speed for women in completing tasks

From the pie chart above it is clear the speed in task completion does not depend on whether one is a man or woman, but the skill for which the training is .Majority of the female trainees taking technical courses reported to have worked independently during practical lessons just like their male counterparts. Twenty-one percent (21%) of them however reported that they did not work independently during practical lessons. Their results out of these lessons therefore were not a true representation of their abilities. These percentages are shown in Table 06.

Table06: Independence among women during practical lessons

	Frequency	%t	Valid %	Cumulative %
Valid	SA	7	36.8	36.8	36.8
	A	6	31.6	31.6	68.4
	U	2	10.5	10.5	78.9
	D	2	10.5	10.5	89.5
	SD	2	10.5	10.5	100.0
	Total	19	100.0	100.0

On average, 57.9% of the female trainees sampled taking technical courses reported to have experienced problems with the learning equipment and materials during training while 31.8% reported having had no problems with the learning equipment and materials during training as shown in Table 07.

Table 07: Experience with learning equipment and materials

	Frequency	%	Valid %	Cumulative %
Valid	SA	4	21.1	21.1	21.1
	A	7	36.8	36.8	57.9
	U	2	10.5	10.5	68.4
	D	5	26.3	26.3	94.7
	SD	1	5.3	5.3	100.0
	Total	19	100.0	100.0

On practical task completion, 52.7% of the female trainees sampled completed the practical tasks without any problem while 47.4% admitted to having had difficulties completing practical tasks during practical lessons. This information is presented in the table 08.

Table 08: Practical task completion

	Frequency	%	Valid %	Cumulative %
Valid	SA	4	21.1	21.1	21.1
	A	5	26.3	26.3	47.4
	D	6	31.6	31.6	78.9
	SD	4	21.1	21.1	100.0
	Total	19	100.0	100.0

From the results represented in tables 06 - 08 and figures 03, 04 and 05 above it is evident that women can perform equally well compared to their male counterparts in the practical lessons in the technical courses offered at diploma level.

Table 09: Chi-Square Analysis for Constraints encountered by Women during training

	Value	df	Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square	4.977(a)	2	.083
Likelihood Ratio	3.742	2	.154
Linear-by-Linear Association	1.436	1	.231
N of Valid Cases	23

The null hypothesis tested for this aspect was:

H 02: There are no constraints encountered by women during enrolment and training in technical courses at diploma level.

From the Chi-Square analysis in table 09, the Pearson Chi-Square value was more than 0.05 thus the hypothesis was accepted, meaning that there are no constraints encountered by women during enrolment and training in technical courses at diploma level.

Women perform equally well in the practicals just like the males. This fact is further supported by a report in the daily nation of Friday, January 12, 2007 that what pushed the top student at Kebulonik Secondary school in Mosop constituency to pursue engineering is the belief that what boys can do she could do better. She was among the 25 girl students from 18 districts sponsored by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) to pursue engineering in the year 2007.

Drop out Cases among Women studying Technical Courses at Diploma Level

The null hypothesis tested for this particular aspect was:

H03: There are no cases of drop out among women who enroll in the technical courses at diploma level.

Fifty percent of the administrators reported that the drop out rate of women was more than that of men while the remaining 50% reported that there was no significant difference in the drop out rate of the two sexes as shown in the pie chart in figure 06.

Figure 06: Drop out cases for female students

From the pie chart above it can clearly be deduced that there are drop out rates among women who enroll for technical courses at diploma but it not significant as compared to the men.

Table 10: Chi-Square Analysis for Drop out Cases

	Value	df	Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square	1.828(a)	3	.042
Likelihood Ratio	1.639	3	.651
Linear-by-Linear Association	.067	1	.796
No of Valid Cases	23

From the Chi-Square analysis above, the Pearson Chi-Square value is less than 0.05 thus the hypothesis was rejected.

From the discussions it was reported that cases of dropout rates are usual in TIVET institutions mainly due to lack of fees. So far the ministry of Higher Education is offering bursaries to students taking engineering courses and more particularly the women with the aim of retaining them in the training until they complete the courses. It is hoped that this will go long way in improving the enrollment and retention of students especially women in these courses.

To address the low participation of women in the engineering courses, Mr. Owuor a former long serving director of the Federation of Kenya Employers said that the council decided to sponsor 75 deserving students for craft and diploma level training (Republic of Kenya, 2007). It was decided to that gender imbalance in engineering courses be addressed following a study which identified many obstacles women face in attaining training.

Enhancing the Enrollment and Participation of Women in Technical Courses

The null hypothesis tested for this aspect was:

H04: There is no enhancement of the enrolment of women in the technical courses at diploma level.

It was the view of 25% of the respondents that the syllabus of the technical courses needed to be restructured in order to attract more women. Fifty percent of the administrators and lecturers however felt that the syllabus did not need any restructuring as it attracted women as well as men in its current form as shown in the table 10.

Table 11: Need for restructuring the syllabi

	Frequency	%	Valid %	Cumulative %
Valid	A	1	25.0	25.0	25.0
	D	1	25.0	25.0	50.0
	SD	2	50.0	50.0	100.0
	Total	4	100.0	100.0

The female trainees felt that certain areas needed to be emphasized during the technical skills training course. 21% felt that practical sessions should be emphasized more relative to theory while 26% felt that the workshops should be equipped more.

Table 12: Emphasis of certain areas during the training

	Frequency	%	Valid %	Cumulative %
Valid	Practical sessions	4	21.1	21.1	21.1
	Equipped labs	5	26.3	26.3	47.4
	Women empowerment	5	26.3	26.3	73.7
	Preferential hiring of women in technical fields	5	26.3	26.3	100.0
	Total	19	100.0	100.0

Table 13: Chi-Square Analysis for Enhancement of enrolment of women in TIVET institutions

	Value	df	Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square	3.743(a)	3	.039
Likelihood Ratio	5.217	3	.157
Linear-by-Linear Association	.484	1	.487
N of Valid Cases	23

From the Chi-Square analysis, the Pearson Chi-Square value is less than 0.05 thus the hypothesis was therefore rejected meaning that there is need to enhance enrollment of women in technical courses at diploma level.

This is further supported by a report by the Forum for African Women Educationists ( FAWE) which states that a rigid and irrelevant school curriculum, competing demand on girls’ time, lack of security both in and out of school and limited prospects in the labour market had impaired the progress of women in education.

As observed by Kerre (2010) we have a TIVET system that has been in place for decades without review. The curricula are outdated. For instance we still teach about carburetors when most vehicles on our roads are of Electronic Fuel Injector (EFI) systems. He concludes by stating that to balance our curriculum, we must bring on board TIVET. It has a definition, a method of inquiry and content just like Science and the Arts.

In order to determine quantitatively the difference in the enrolment of women and their performance in the technical courses at diploma level compared to their male counterparts, a two- way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out as shown in table 14.

Table 14: Two way ANOVA

		Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	Fobserved (0.5)	Fcritical (0.5)
No significant difference in enrolment of men and women	Between Groups	2.092	1	2.092	1.775	.203
	Within Groups	17.673	15	1.178
	Total	19.765	16
Need for restructuring to attract more women	Between Groups	1.466	1	1.466	.671	.425
	Within Groups	32.769	15	2.185
	Total	34.235	16
Performance of women not different from that of men	Between Groups	3.938	1	3.938	0.89	3.313
	Within Groups	17.827	15	1.188
	Total	21.765	16
Drop out cases among women	Between Groups	1.721	1	1.721	2.024	.175
	Within Groups	12.750	15	.850
	Total	14.471	16

By studying the ANOVA table above the following conclusions were made:

There is a significant difference in the enrolment of men and women because the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the enrolment of women and men in the technical courses at diploma level was rejected.

The performance of women is not different from that of men since the null hypothesis that there are no constraints encountered by women during their training was accepted.

There are drop out cases among women in the technical courses since the null hypothesis that there are no drop out cases among women was rejected.

There is no need to restructure the syllabus so as to suit the women since the null hypothesis that there no enhancement of women in the technical courses was rejected.

Focus discussions revealed the following in the study:

The women have a positive attitude towards technical courses but because majority do not perform well in mathematics and sciences they end up not enrolling for the technical courses.

Women who enroll for technical courses are usually very keen in the practicals and they end up performing even better than their male counterparts.

The syllabus for technical courses need not be restructured to favour women but the lectures need to encourage the women who enroll for these courses especially when it comes to subjects that involve calculations which might be a bit challenging.

The presence of women lecturers in the technical courses is a motivating factor to the women who enroll for these courses and these can go a long way in encouraging the girls who are in secondary schools to consider taking the courses.

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

This chapter presents the discussions of the findings, conclusions, suggestions and recommendations for further research. The conclusions in this study were used to answer the research questions that sparked the collection and analysis of data.

Discussions

The discussions in this chapter are in the order of the null hypotheses that were being tested in the study.

The first hypothesis was:

H01: There is no significant difference in the enrolment of women and men studying technical courses at diploma level over a ten year period (1996-2005).

The data set in tables 01-05 showed that there is significant difference in the enrolment of men and females in the technical courses at diploma level.

This results support a report by Ms Masiga, the deputy inspector of schools in 1994 that majority of women who join university and other tertiary institutions take the art-based courses (Republic of Kenya, 2008).

Further the education ministry records trace bias in education of girls to the first years of independence when technical secondary schools in the country mainly admitted boys. These institutions then known as jeans included Kapsabet, Kabete and Chavakali and Maseno. They exclusively trained male students for woodwork, power metals, and electricity technology (Republic of Kenya 1964).

It was further noted that girls’ education problems started during the colonial days when the white man educated boys so that they could serve as clerks while girls were left at home to collect firewood and cook. She said that although the trend had changed significantly in independent Kenya, the number of girls joining technical institutions and science colleges was still low. As further reported in the Gender Policy in Education (2007) although the Government has been sensitizing management, staff and other stakeholders on addressing gender representation of teachers and students about course entries in their respective institutions, participation of women in technical courses still remain low.

The second hypothesis was:

H02: There are no constraints encountered by women during enrolment and training in technical courses at diploma level.

The data set in tables 06 to 09 and figures 03 and 04 showed that the performance of women is not different from that of their male counterparts. Women do not lack speed in completing tasks as compared to men although some usually have problems with equipment and materials during the training. Women were reported to work independently just like their male counterparts in the training.

As observed by Kerre (2010) TIVET programmes span over a range of training levels, patterned on real work performance levels at the work place. In this regard, different cadres of employees operate at their respective skills levels while contributing towards the overall goals of production and women are not an exception.

The third hypothesis was:

H03: There are no cases of drop out among women who enroll in the technical courses at diploma level.

The data set in table 10, figure 05 and through interview schedules and discussions with the lecturers and administrators indicated that there are drop out rates among women who enroll for technical courses at diploma level. This was further confirmed when the admission registers were studied carefully during the research. It was further clarified that the issue of dropout was not peculiar to the women as it also applies equally to the men who enroll for these courses.

The bursaries for students enrolled in tertiary technical institutions were doubled to KSh. 50 million in the 2008/2009 financial year (Republic of Kenya, 2008). This was according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology permanent secretary, Prof Crispus Kiamba that time to enhance Government commitment to increase access, retention and quality to technical, industrial, vocational and entrepreneurial training in the country. The PS reported that the scholarships were meant to assist orphans and students from poor families and at the same time encourage more women to take up technical courses. People with special needs like those from arid and semi-arid areas and urban slums are also key targets of the scheme.

The fourth hypothesis was:

H04: There is no enhancement of the enrolment of women in the technical courses at diploma level.

The data set in tables 10 and 11 indicate that there is no need to restructure the syllabus but there is need to hire women who have excelled in the technical fields so that they can be role models to the women who enroll for courses in the technical courses.

As the report on girls’ education by the deputy inspector of schools, Ms Masiga stated that “It is known that the absence of women teachers especially in sciences and mathematics is one of the factors that hinder girls’ participation in these subjects”. The report further says that the situation was similar at the universities where the number of male lecturers was much higher than that of women.

A report in the Standard Education Watch on 12th May 2010 of a study by Dr Else-Quest and her fellow researchers states that that girls perform at the same level as boys when they are given the right educational tools and have visible role models excelling in mathematics and this is true for technical subjects.

But this is what is lacking in Kenya and other countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa. In the last KSCE results girls scored a mean of 18.1 per cent in mathematics compared to 23.63 per cent for boys. Overall average score for the subject stood at 21.13 per cent

Suggestion for Improving the Enrolment of Women in the Technical Courses at Diploma Level in TIVET institutions.

The respondents who participated in the present study gave the following suggestions:

Suggestions by Administrators and Lecturers

Most of the administrators and lecturers were for the idea that the women should be encouraged to enroll for the technical courses at diploma level because the skills are equally useful to both sexes. According to them women who study these courses often perform better than men both academically and even in the practicals.

They also suggested that women should be encouraged to enroll for these courses so as to pose an equal challenge to men in building the nation.

Women shy away from the sciences and mathematics in secondary school yet they play a very important role the technical courses at diploma level. Secondary schools should initiate seminars so as to inform their student about the importance of sciences and mathematics and the opportunities ahead of them before they graduate.

This will remove the negative attitude which girls have towards the sciences and mathematics and also help them change the cultural belief that women are weak thus cannot perform as well as the men in the technical courses.

The industry should also be encouraged to absorb the women who complete their training immediately and pay them well so as encourage them take up these courses.

They suggested that the affirmative action should be carried out to sensitize women on the importance of the technical courses. In this affirmative action, we should have role models who have excelled in the technical fields to foster participation of the women in these areas.

The government should sponsor the women who enroll for the technical courses so that they do not drop out due to lack of fees thus complete their training. Further training should also be made accessible to the women through sponsorship and the affirmative action.

Finally the women should be included in the policy-making forums so that they can represent the interest of women when policies are being made at higher levels.

Suggestions by Trainees

Most of the trainees suggested that women should enroll for the technical courses at diploma level in order to promote gender equality and also capture the talents in them. They suggested that women should pursue the technical courses in order for them to be independent, responsible and compete favorably for opportunities in employment.

They concurred with the lecturers that seminars, talks and workshops should be held to sensitize women on the importance of sciences in general and mathematics the opportunities in the technical courses at diploma level.

They were for the opinion that women should be given first priority when it comes to employment after training besides bursaries and scholarships.

They suggested that role model who are already in the job market and are quite successful should be invited to talk to the girls while in secondary school and the women who have enrolled in the technical courses at diploma level so as to encourage them.

Conclusions

The following conclusions were made based on the findings of this research:

There is a significant difference in the enrolment of women and men in the technical courses at diploma level in the TIVET institutions in western Kenya. TIVET directly impacts the world of work and can thus help improve the incomes of poverty stricken citizens, provide them with more choices in life and help empower individuals who would otherwise have been marginalized in society

Women perform equally well in the technical courses at diploma level. Women do not lack speed in completing tasks as compared to men although some usually have problems with equipment and materials during the training. Women work independently just like their male counterparts in the training.

There are drop out cases among women who enroll for technical courses at diploma level but this is not significant. The cases are not unique to women only .Men also drop out mainly due to problem with fee payment. The Government has been making efforts to provide bursaries to students enrolled in the engineering and this is expected to enhance retention and quality to technical courses in the TIVET institutions.

There is an upward trend in the enrolment of women in the technical courses in TIVET institutions at diploma level.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were arrived at:

Women should be encouraged to enroll for the technical courses at diploma level by being given government sponsorships so as to complete their training because the skills are equally useful to both sexes.

The industry should be encouraged to absorb the women who complete their training immediately as encouragement to those who are still in training or those who may aspire to take up these courses.

Role models of women who have excelled in the job market should be invited to talk to the girls while in secondary school and the women who have enrolled for the technical courses at diploma level so as to sensitize them on the importance of the courses.

Women should be included in the policy-making forums so that they can represent the interest of women when policies are being made at higher levels.

Suggestion for Further Research

With the current trend in the world of work, it is suggested that the following researches should be done:

A research to find out how female graduates of technical courses at diploma level are performing in the world of work,

A research to find out the challenges faced by female graduates of technical

courses from Universities.

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Questionnaire for administrators

Introduction

This is part of an educational study being undertaken to find out the enrolment patterns of women in technical institutions in Western Kenya. The purpose of this questionnaire is to seek your opinion on the enrolment and training of women in these institutions. It is designed to allow you express your views freely and also propose improvement areas. You are one of the chosen administrators to participate in this study. You are therefore requested to complete the questionnaire as accurately as possible and return it.

Your responses will be treated confidently both during and after the study.

Thank you.

Given below are statements about enrolment and training of women in diploma courses in TIVET Institutions. Circle one of the given choices to indicate the option that best describes your opinion.

Key: S.A –Strongly Agree

Agree

U-Undecided

D-Disagree

SD- Strongly Disagree

There is no significant difference in the enrolment of men and women in the technical courses.

SA A U D SD

The training offered at this level best suite men for the tasks they perform within the construction industry more than women.

SA A U D SD

The entry point into the technical courses favour men more than women.

SA A U D SD

The syllabus of the technical courses needs to be restructured in order to attract more women.

SA A U D SD

The performance of women of women who enroll for technical course is not different from that of men.

SA A U D SD

Women who enroll for technical courses lack speed in completing tasks as compared to their male counterparts.

SA A U D SD

Men in the technical courses relate well with the women in the same courses.

SA A U D SD

Women who enroll for technical course cannot work independently as compared to their male counterparts.

SA A U D SD

The drop out rate of women who enroll for technical course at diploma level is more than that of the men.

SA A U D SD

As an administrator in a TIVET institution, list down the points to keep in mink so as to improve enrolment of women in the technical courses.

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………..

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.

Appendix 2: Questionnaire for Lecturers

Introduction

It is designed to allow you express your views freely and also propose improvement areas.

You are one of the chosen lectures to participate in this study. You are therefore requested to complete the questionnaire as accurately a possible and return it.

Your responses will be treated confidently both during and after the study.

Thank you.

Given below are statements about enrolment and training of women in diploma courses in TIVET institutions. Circle one of the given choices to indicate the option that best describes your opinion.

Key: SA - Strongly Agree.

A - Agree.

U - Undecided.

D - Disagree.

SD - Strongly Disagree.

There is no significant different difference in the enrolment of men and women in the technical courses.

SA A U D SD

The training offered at this level best suite the men for the tasks they perform within the construction industry than women.

SA A U D SD

The entry point into the technical courses favour men more than women.

SA A U D SD

The syllabus of the technical courses needs to be restructured in order to attract more women.

SA A U D SD

The performance of women who enroll for technical course is not different from that of the men.

SA A U D SD

Women who enroll for technical courses cannot perform effectively the tasks endowed upon them as their male counterpart.

SA A U D SD

Women who enroll for technical courses lack speed in completing tasks as compared to their male counterparts.

SA A U D SD

Men in the technical courses relate well with the women in the same courses.

SA A U D SD

Women who enroll for technical courses cannot work independently as compared to their male counterparts.

SA A U D SD

The drop out rate of women who enroll for technical courses at diploma level is more than that of the men.

SA A U D SD

As a lecturer in a TIVET institution list down the points to keep in mind so as to improve enrolment of women in the technical courses.

i)…………………………………………………………………………………….

ii)……………………………………………………………………………………

iii)…………………………………………………………………………………...

iv)…………………………………………………………………………………..

v)……………………………………………………………………………………

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION

Appendix 3: Questionnaire for female trainees in the technical courses

Introduction

This is part of the educational study being undertaken to find out the enrolment patterns of women in technical institutions in Western Kenya. The purpose of this questionnaire is to seek your opinion and views on the enrolment and training of women in the institutions.

It is designed to allow you express your views freely and also propose improvement areas. You are one of the chosen trainees to participate in the study. You are therefore requested to complete the questionnaire as accurately as possible and return it.

Your responses will be treated confidently both during and after the study.

Thank you.

Given below are statements about enrolment and training of women in diploma courses in TIVET Institutions. Circle one of the given choices to indicate the option that best describes your opinion.

Key: SA - Strongly Agree.

A - Agree.

U - Undecided.

D - Disagree.

SD - Strongly Disagree.

I chose to study a technical diploma course in this TIVET institution.

SA A U D SD

The technical diploma course offered in this TIVET institution will assist me to get employment within the industry.

SA A U D SD

Most of the tasks I undertake during the current training are related to the tasks in the industry.

SA A U D SD

Both the theory and practical lessons are well covered during the training.

SA A U D SD

I have experienced problems with the learning equipment and material during the training.

SA A U D SD

I’m unable to complete tasks given during practical lessons.

SA A U D SD

I relate well with the male students in my class.

SA A U D SD

I can work independently during the practical lessons just like my male classmates.

SA A U D SD

As a student in a TIVET institution, list down in order of importance the sections you feel should be emphasized so as to improve the enrolment and training of women in the technical diploma courses.

..................................................................................................................

…………………………….…………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………..…………….……………..

………………………………………………………………………….

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION

Appendix 4: Questionnaire for female trainees in the non-technical courses

Introduction

Your responses will be treated confidently both during and after the study.

Thank you.

Given below are statements about enrolment and training of women in diploma courses in TIVET Institutions. Circle one of the given choices to indicate the option that best describes your opinion.

Key: SA - Strongly Agree.

A - Agree.

U - Undecided.

D - Disagree.

SD - Strongly Disagree.

The technical diploma course offered in this TIVET institution will assist the women in technical courses get employment within the industry.

SA A U D SD

Most of the tasks undertaken during the training in the technical courses are related to the tasks in the industry.

SA A U D SD

Both the theory and practical lessons are well covered during the training in the technical courses.

SA A U D SD

The women in the technical courses experience problems with the learning equipment and material during their training.

SA A U D SD

The women in the technical courses are unable to complete tasks given during practical lessons.

SA A U D SD

Female students in the technical courses relate well with their male students in their classes.

SA A U D SD

The women in technical courses can work independently during the practical lessons just like their male classmates.

SA A U D SD

As a student in a TIVET institution, list down in order of importance the sections you feel should be emphasized so as to improve the enrolment and training of women in the technical diploma courses.

…………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………….

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION

Appendix 5: Questionnaire for male trainees

Introduction

This is part of an educational study being carried out to find out the enrolment patterns of women in technical institutions in Western Kenya. The purpose of this questionnaire is to seek your opinion and views on the enrolment and training of women in these institutions.

It is designed to allow you express your views freely and also propose improvement areas.

You are one of the trainees chosen to participate in the study. You are therefore requested to complete the questionnaire as accurately as possible and return it.

Your responses will be treated confidentially both during and after the study.

Thank you.

Given bellow are statements about enrolment and training of women in diploma courses in TIVET institutions. Circle one of the given choices to indicate the opinions that best describe your opinion.

Key: SA- Strongly Agree

A - Agree

U - Undecided

D - Disagree

SD - Strongly Disagree

1. The technical diploma course offered in this institution will assist students in the technical courses to get employment within the industry.

SA A U D SD

2. Most of the tasks undertaken in the technical courses during the training are related to the tasks in the industry.

SA A U D SD

3. Both the theory and practical lessons are well covered in the technical courses during the training.

SA A U D SD

4. The women experience problems with the learning equipment and material during the training.

SA A U D SD

5. The women are unable to complete tasks given during practical lessons.

SA A U D SD

6. The male students relate well with the female students in their classes.

SA A U D SD

7. The women can work independently during the practical lessons just like their male classmates.

SA A U D SD

8. As a student of a TIVET institution, list down in order of importance the sections you feel should be emphasized so as to improve the enrolment and training of women in the technical courses.

………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION

Appendix 6: Interview schedule

Looking at the TIVET diploma programmes, do you think more women should enroll for these programmes?

If so give reasons

…………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………….

What do you think hinders women from enrolling for TIVET diploma programmes?

How can the above hindrances be reduced?

What else do you think should be done to encourage more women to enroll for TIVET diploma programmes.

World of Work

Drop-outs

continuity

Female trainees

Male trainees

Engineer/Technologist

Technician

Secondary school

Master craftsman

Craftsman

Artisan

Primary school

_1335028343.xls

Chart3

Sheet1

administrators	% response
SD	50
A	25
D	25

Sheet1

Sheet2

SA	75
A	25





























	SD	75
	D	25

Sheet2

Sheet3

_1335028663.xls

Chart4

Sheet1

administrators	% response
SD	50
A	25
D	25

Sheet1

Sheet2

SA	75
A	25





























	SD	75
	D	25

Sheet2

Sheet3

A	25
DA	25
SD	25
D	25

_1335028015.xls

Chart2

Sheet1

administrators	% response
SD	50
A	25
D	25

Sheet1

Sheet2

SA	75
A	25

Year	Males	Females	Total
2005	86	10	96
2004	84	11	95
2003	55	11	66
2002	85	9	94
2001	58	11	69
2000	48	5	53
1999	43	3	46
1998	40	4	44
1997	50	1	51
1996	55	6	61
1995	55	2	57