[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: Identify cross-cutting issues #5211

In the Kingdom of Eswatini there are three key cross-cutting issues that need to be addressed using the National Education and Training Sector Policy (2018) which includes the National Curriculum Framework, to promote ESD: unemployment, inadequate resources, and gender inequality.

Suggestions
First, the Policy should include the engagement of relevant stakeholders, in particular the employers to provide guidance on quality and relevant curriculum design and development for primary, secondary and tertiary education and training. Good relations between employers and the education sector could possibly increase employment rate as graduates would be relevant to employer expectations. Second, maintaining good relations with employers could motivate employers to provide funding to improve the standard of education and training using relevant resources. Third, maintaining good relations with employers could motivate employers to offer more job opportunities to women in technical and/or engineering industries, which at the moment are low. The same applies to enrolment of women in TVET institutions, fewer women, yet they are as capable as their male counterparts. The Policy should make provision somehow to encourage women to transform their mindsets from the culture of shying away from technical/engineering jobs because they are believed to be for males.

[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: Curricula review on Climate Change #5056

Our TVET curricula across all the different courses at MITC do not directly include any components of the climate change curriculum for Southern Africa. However, our feeling is that if the administrators, educators, support staff and trainees could be oriented on issues related to climate change, such as causes for escalation, effects and impact on earth systems, it could help in collectively reviewing the different curricula to include content that will be relevant to each course. We also feel that if all members of staff (academic and non-academic) and trainees were to participate in different change projects such as waste management and many others, that could help fight climate change using TVET activities.

[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: Earth System #5055

My understanding of the Anthropocene is that it is a period of time during which human activities have had an impact on the environment resulting in favourable and unfavourable changes. The activities are mainly related to industrial revolution which started some years back and were aimed at improving industrialization to improve economic growth through technological advancement in productivity. Scientists have agreed that humans have had a hand for instance in warming up the earth’s climate since the industrial revolution. Anthropocene relates to TVET activities at MITC in the sense that there is a wide variety of technological machinery and equipment used for training which could contribute directly or indirectly to global warming. Activities such as the use of gases for welding, servicing motor vehicles, panel beating and spray painting, etc.

The earth system is comprised of physical, chemical, biological and human components, with complex interactions and feedbacks between the component parts. There are four major systems of the earth. The geosphere which comprises the solid rock, melting rock, soil, etc. The hydrosphere which comprises water and all its forms. The atmosphere which comprises the mixture of gases surrounding the earth. The biosphere which comprises earth living things which can be found in many parts of the geosphere, the hydrosphere and the atmosphere. We could definitely use the videos in teaching our trainees about the importance of understanding the impact TVET activities has on the environment, and what role we as an institution could play to minimize chances of causing damage to any of the earth spheres. We also believe that introducing online learning will help trainees manage to source invaluable information from the Internet with or without the assistance of the instructors.

Ecosystems are the regions where organisms interact with each other and the environment. Ecosystems supply food, fuel, oxygen, and nutrients needed to sustain life. In simpler terms ecosystems provide the platform and resources for organisms to produce food, fuel, generate oxygen, and other nutrients needed for survival. Understanding of ecosystems could help sensitize management, staff and trainees about the importance of keeping ecosystems hygienically healthy to ensure healthy environment and quality productivity to promote quality of life for all.

[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: Reflect on Learning Action 1 #4783

1. This learning action has helped me review our TVET programmes by enlightening me on the importance of designing inclusive, self-directed, more student-centred, more flexible, and online programmes that will promote life-long and self-sustainable learning.
2. Working with colleagues, course specialists, employers as well as trainees in designing, developing, implementing and evaluating TVET programmes will help me work towards a more critical understanding of sustainable development and education for sustainable development within the context of TVET.
3. What needs to be discussed and taken forward still includes: designing TVET policy suitable for Eswatini context, designing and implementing National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at international standard, and recruitment policy for TVET providers to be relevant to industry requirements.
4. I would emphasize the adoption of online learning that will encompass elements that promote education for sustainable development through self-directed learning, self-sustainable employment.

[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: Review of your institution’s Vision and Mission statement #4748

1. To some extent the vision and mission statements of MITC reflect my understanding of sustainable development in the sense that the statements touch on empowering trainees with TVET skills for self-sustainable and gainful employment through career and entrepreneurship training.
2. To some extent again the statements do reflect on the definition of sustainable development as the mission states that TVET skills acquired by trainees should be cognizant of the National Qualifications Framework through experiential learning. The courses offered at MITC are relevant to the needs of communities, industries, and individual youth. There is need however, to modify the vision and mission to comprehensively accommodate the objectives of ESD and GAP in order to align the curricula offered to SDG no. 4.
3. To some extent the vision and mission statements reflect on the objectives of ESD and GAP.
4. This is how I would reframe/re-state the vision and mission statements to more substantively reflect SD and ESD.
Vision: To be the leading centre of excellence in providing life-long Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum relevant to industry needs.
Mission: The mission of Manzini Industrial Training is to provide market-driven, inclusive and life-long quality technical and vocational education and training (TVET) through experiential learning of education with development of quality self-sustainable and gainful employment.

[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: Understanding Sustainable Development #4634

My understanding of the concept of sustainable development is that it is any initiative that is aimed at transforming the collective livelihoods of people in a society to a state where their needs are met in terms of political, economical, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions. SD those initiatives should have a plan for sustaining those developed livelihoods without impinging on the ecological balance of the natural resources needed for development. The main sustainability development issues in my country and community are: political instability, dependence of donor funding for basic needs, poor infrastructure for establishing sustainable global partnerships, and establishment of donor-funded initiatives without proper plan for self-sustenance. For example, some TVET institutions were established using funding from international donors who after some years ceased their financial support, leaving those institutions idle after the missionaries go back to their countries. Such institutions had to close because they could not sustain their operations.

One of the implications of my TVET Change Project development is that our trainees will develop the culture of self-reliance and self-sustenance through online learning. Another implication is that the online learning will help reduce chances of spreading the COVID-19 infections through minimized face-to-face interactions in larger numbers as most training will be conducted online. The third implication is that our trainees will learn how to establish and run small scale businesses using online platforms.

The first definition will guide the knowledge and skills needed for each TVET course in my institution as the content should be based on needs analysis of the trainees and the communities from where they come. The knowledge and skills acquired should empower the graduates with skills needed by their communities for development, otherwise they will graduate to go and stay idle without jobs. The second definition will guide the entrepreneurial aspect of out TVET courses, in the sense that the trainees should be trained to focus more on self-employment than on paid employment to achieve the goal of self-sustainable employment for TVET graduates. Therefore, our “Online facilitation of TVET courses” as a Change Project will train our trainees to be self-directed, self-employed, and self-sustainable using online platforms.

[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: Your thoughts on the case studies. #4519

All the case studies were appealing to me in different ways, but the one on peer review workshop caught my attention the most. The review allowed the participants to make presentations on their projects, followed by critique from other peer participants. What impressed me most was that a wider spectrum of the review touched upon the complete elements of each of the change projects. Needs assessment was covered, design and implementation were covered, formative and summative evaluation were covered. The review allowed me to gain insight about the whole idea of transforming our education curricula to promote sustainable development goals through Change Projects. I now have an idea how I will design, develop, implement and evaluate the Change Project with my team.

[Washington Mbhamali]

in reply to: About yourself and your initial Change Project #4422

Hello, my name is Washington Mbhamali from the Kingdom of Eswatini. I am 55 years old, employed by the Teaching Service Commission, and based at the Manzini Industrial Training Centre as Computer Literacy instructor, with over 20 years experience as TVET instructor. I am a holder of Bachelor of Education (Adult education) with majors in Organizational Management, Vocational Instructor Diploma, International Computer Driving License certificate. I decided to participate in this course mainly because I want to be empowered with knowledge and skills on designing TVET curricula for different trades that will incorporate online and life-long learning components that will suit Technical Vocational Education and Training. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for TVET, I wish to have the ability to contribute towards designing curricula that will promote self-directed learning while empowering trainees with self-sustainable employment skills. The TVET curricular should align trainees with the digital world where learning and business venture is managed online.

[Author]

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