Sustainable TVET

josr's picture

Comments on the SVS project plan

People are responding to the SVS project plan. To share the comments I am now uploading these comments to the discussion section of this site under the SVS project.
It would help if you would deliver your comments and contributions directly here, for all involved to read.
Thank you,
Jos Rikers

Comments

josr's picture

Dear Jos.

I am indeed very glad to join in the SVS project. In fact I'm already doing something that could be relevant to that. I called it Unemployment Reduction Program (URP). I train unemployed youth mostly products of Qur'anic schools and secondary school dropouts and even
unemployed graduates on emulsion and texcoat paint production, Mosaic effect floor (terrazzo). The program has began to draw attention of some traditional rulers and community leaders. Today the district head of Tudun Wadan Dankade, received us in his palace and awarded the youths we trained all the paints that his newly constructed palace
would need, and also promised to persuade the Interim Management Officer of the Local Government on a very big project of School of Art and Science that the state government is about completing in the local govt..
Thanks and best regards
Nuruddeen Muhammad
josr's picture

Dear Jos,

I have read the concept paper on SVS and Action Plan with the great interest. We had a quick discussion within RCE Lithuania about our participation and possible input. So, as asked in the question 1, I am approaching you as a new team-member.
The logic of the project (Research –> Case Studies –> Pilot projects/Toolkit) seems to be rational and practice-oriented. We particularly would be interested in the issue of transferrable competences including entrepreneurship, at all stages of the project. We also expect to initiate at least one pilot project in Lithuania.
The issue of co-creation (cooperation of regional stakeholders) is not simple because the forms for involvement of stakeholders depend very much on existing management schemes and levels of education.
As SVS project will cover different countries and education systems, it would be desirable to use clear criteria in defining lower, middle and higher level within VET. Would it be possible to use ISCED levels (UNESCO, 2011)?
Looking forward to the Global Action Programme (GAP), I would suggest considering pilot projects as “the whole institution approach” also looking for synergies with other GAP priorities, i.e. building capacity of educators, empowering youth and accelerating local development. A set of SVS quality criteria could be suggested in the toolkit as well. (Similarly, discussion on school ESD plans as “the whole institution approach” was initiated by the UNECE.)
Best wishes,
Laima
josr's picture

Dear Laima,
Thank you so much for your valuable contribution. In the first place, of course, I am very happy to have you in our team as an active supporter. I believe we need you!
As to your remarks:
- Indeed, it will make a lot of sense to work along generally accepted lines of defining several types of education/training. Thank you for putting our attention to use the ISCED-levels.
- Thank you as well for your offer to try and initiate 1 (or more?) pilots in Lithuania. And I shall be more than interested to see how you can manage to work with transferrable competences, especially with regard to entrepreneurship in your pilot. I myself am convinced that this aspect can form one of the most memorable of the whole project.
You are now on our mailing list, and shall inform you on a regular basis with new messages, questions/demands and shall ask you for your personal input where applicable. Feel welcome!

Have a Happy Christmas time!

Jos Hermans
josr's picture

Dear Jos,
The idea appears to be worthwhile to pursue but the major constraint in this approach is the social perception of vocational education of low order priority in most developing countries. This is being continued and sustained by public policy on education pursued by governments in most developing countries. This means the project should not only look at establishing schools but add the dimension of social acceptance and eventual educational policy change at the level of the governments. One role model for this approach is Singapore which invested significantly in promoting vocational education in the society and then developed linkage with formal education system to equalize general and vocational education. This was presented to us in an educational conference held at Bahrain in some years ago by the retired Director General of the Program from Singapore. Thus the issue of social acceptance is crucial in generating demand for good vocational education in a society.
More when I dig in to the paper which I shall share with my colleague who retired as the Director General of Technical and Vocational Education of the Government of Bangladesh and now a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at IUBAT.

With best wishes,

Alimullah Miyan
josr's picture

Dear Jos
First some statements:

1I will be able to Work with this project at least 5 days pr. month and if needed more!
2) I will send all the mails related to the SVS-project to the Danish RCE steering comitee. But right now I dont expect any
reactions before after christmass, (this is related to new team members like a possible Phd.-students - the former secretary of RCE Denmark, Simon Rolls).

Some clearification and suggestions:

3) I think it would be good, if we put up some criteria for the pilot-Projects and maybe also the Role - models:
like:

a) age Group
b) rural - urban project
c) setting
d) countries to cover
e) male - female
f) learning approach: formal, informal,nonformal
e) what kind of stakeholders (if not open) - the local empowerment, is important but in what way?

etc.
I suggest we go through your opening paper (Project paper) and then from there make an extract and suggest the precise criteria for not only pilot-Projects but also role models.

The criteria should NOT be Top Down critera, but open criteria, so we have a diversity to Work with.

4) The national curriculum
In different ways there is a national policy to consider already now (Formal learning)

Like in Kenya::.
The Kenya Institute of Education 2008 published a curriculum for diploma in teacher education syllabus (vol.5)

Technical Subjects:
Woodwork, Aviation Technology, Building Construction, Metal Work, Power Mechanics, and Electricity.

Maybe its too early----

Hope I you can see my point Jos.

All the best

Niels Larsen
RCElaimagalkute's picture

Dear Colleagues,
I fully support the suggestions by Niels to further clarify the project concept. I am ready to allocate my time and invite partners of the RCE Candidate Lithuania as well. Since February I can work on project 1-2 days per week. January is more complicated as we are working on several project proposals and reports at once. However, I am ready for some specific tasks in January if you wish.

I would like to come back to the ISCED-UNESCO for clarification of the lower, medium, higher VET levels (attached) instead of age groups as it is important when dealing with formal education and curriculum requirements. Shall I prepare some background comments?

Best wishes,
Laima
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