By Rodgers Omondi, Busia
Matayos MP Geofrey Odanga has urged residents to enroll their children at Dr Wako Murende Technical and Vocational College (TVC), saying the institution provides practical and technical skills that can help young people secure employment and create their own jobs.
Speaking during the handover of a new 52-seater bus to the institution, Odanga called on the community to support the college by encouraging more learners to join, noting that technical training was essential in preparing young people for the demands of the job market.
“This is our institution as a community, and we are the ones to build it. Let’s take our children here to acquire knowledge. Practical skills are essential and important in today’s life,” he said.
Odanga said plans were underway to establish a radio station at the college to provide learners pursuing media-related courses with practical experience and strengthen skills development across the institution’s programmes.
“We are working on establishing an institutional radio station to give learners pursuing the course proper practical skills. We are creating a better practical skills environment for all the courses offered here,” he said.
The MP also called for partnerships between learning institutions within the county to expand access to education and technical training, particularly for young people who face challenges travelling long distances to attend classes.
“We need to do more partnerships with other institutions to ensure that many learners are educated and acquire skills. If we have learners who are facing challenges getting to school, we can partner with institutions around them to provide a place we can use to educate those learners from that side,” he said.
Odanga further announced that President William Ruto had honored pledge of KSh5 million towards purchasing an additional school van for the college. He said the money had already been deposited into the institution’s account and urged the board of management to use it for the intended purpose, noting that the 52-seater bus had been acquired through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
Meshack Opwora, a director in the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), commended the institution for its focus on food science and processing technology, saying technical training required greater exposure beyond classroom instruction.
“Technical training needs more exposure through visiting manufacturing plants, participating in agricultural exhibitions, attending sports and drama festivals, and engaging in community outreach. Mobility is a bridge that connects classroom theory and real-world industry practice,” he said.
Opwora urged the learners to maximise opportunities presented by the new bus to broaden their knowledge and prepare for careers as innovators, entrepreneurs and industrial leaders.
Eng. Francis Miheso, the college principal, said the bus would ease transportation challenges that had affected students’ participation in extracurricular activities and the movement of the institution’s products.
“We are the leading institution in this region in terms of curriculum activities. During the last national athletics competition at Nyayo Stadium, we won 10 gold medals and are ranked the best in special sports. We have had ball games in Mombasa, and we spent a lot of money hiring vehicles. Our students are hardworking despite the challenges,” he said.
Miheso said the institution had invested in innovation, research, food processing and value addition, adding that the bus would help transport its products to different parts of the country and generate revenue to support its development.
He also said the college had contributed to improving the surrounding community through infrastructure and security initiatives, including road improvements, a solar power project and enhanced police patrols.
