[kictanet] Review, identify gaps and enhance the quality of the Certificate of ICT (CICT) qualification

Sun Sep 7 18:00:59 EAT 2008

Well articulated Kamotho. The research arm idea sounds very
useful as the Board as currently constituted is slanted towards
marketing rather than tackling the complexities of ICT
education/Professionalism. The Board should also play a neutral
role if it wants to participate in the marketing of ICT
examinations, as currently there are myriad providers including
the foreign ones who have a field day in the country because of a
loophole in the Education Act.

The Boards voluntary/non-commercial participation concept also
appears a non-starter. It is hard to achieve things that
way. Overall I propose that the Board in future involve all
including its "critics" and not just "friends" in its strategy
formulation sessions. Surely if someone had taken the trouble to
inform me (and probably others) about the Naivasha meet I would
even have paid my way there.Criticism is not meant to make anyone
to fail, but to do better and to achieve.

Kind Regards,
Waudo

On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 17:00:37 +0300, "kamotho Njenga" <kamothonjenga at gmail.
com> said:

The ICT Board's idea of "reviewing, identifying gaps, enhancing
the quality etc within KASNEB's CICT exam is very logical at a
glance. Unfortunately the approach reveals several ommissions and
commisions on the Board's part regarding the way in which it
has handled one of its most critical mandates - ICT
education,professionalim and capacity building. At the risk of
sounding like one to whom money has being poured to finish the
ICT Board, I will (un) humbly make the following submissions:

1. Whereas the above partnership could have some merits, the
Board must stop loosing sight of the bigger picture. CICT is not
the route to establishing quality assurance within the ICT
profession. An exhaustive exploration of options including
perspectives of other examining bodies must be considered.

2. The Board should engineer an original process on its own.
Purporting to audit the syllabus of a sister state corporation
adversely projects the attributes of the ICT Board and the entire
ICT professional community - A non starter running after KASNEB
to offer solutions and do its job.Its typical of a
disorganized fellow who deserts his unkempt home only to go and
issue cooking orders to a neighbours wife.

3. Its critical that the Board institutes a research arm instead
of relying entirely on impromptu contibutions of stakeholders.
Sitting in posh offices along Waiyaki way to write
recommendations to forward to KASNEB is a doomed overture. One is
tempted to conclude that the Board is short of ideology and is at
best a bother to other entities whose houses are in order.

4. The Board must stop exploiting Kenyans in the name of pro bono
(Voluntary participation). Quality comes at a cost. Whereas most
of us wouldn't mind giving some hours to the cause of nation
building, its both un African and unscriptural to engage people
numerously without any sense of consideration. The ICT Board is
not an NGO or ? What about your budget?

Kamotho Njenga

Lecturer, UON and

Chairman, ICT Association of Kenya (ICTAK)

On 9/5/08, Al Kags <[1]alkags at alkags.com> wrote:

  The Kenya ICT Board and KASNEB have formed a partnership to
  review, identify gaps and enhance the quality of the
  Certificate of ICT (CICT) qualification that is managed by
  KASNEB and offered by various ICT institutions in Kenya. This
  collaboration will cover, among other areas:-
  * Working together towards enhancing quality ICT skills in the
    country
  * Marketing CICT to get industry buy in and endorsement at the
    same level as CPA.
  * Collaborate in conducting a baseline study/survey to
    determine the deficiency of ICT skills and type of skills
    required.
  * Collaborate to lobby for appropriate legal provisions for the
    establishment of an Institute for the CICT graduates,
    recognizing KASNEB as the examining and the certification
    body for ICT graduates.
  * Work to gain industry acceptance of CICT certification on
    same quality rating as CPA.

  The Kenya ICT Board wishes to convene an ICT Public Panel to
  develop industry and stake holder input into the review. We
  invite the participation of key sector players in the industry
  on a voluntary basis, as represented below:-
  * Industry players (IT products and services
    suppliers/manufactures including Developer Community,
    Skunkworks etc)  - 5 representatives
  * Business Process Outsourcing and Call Centres - 2
    representatives
  * Colleges      representatives - 3 representatives
  * University      representatives - 3 representatives
  * Student representatives – 5
  * Related government ministry's representatives - 3
  * Multinational Corporations - 2

  TORs of the Panel.
  To review the state of ICT skills in Kenya with a view to
  identifying gaps and therefore make recommendations for
  addressing those gaps as seen in a global context. The Public
  Panel deliberations will be made out of a maximum of three
  meetings at the Kenya ICT Board Offices on Waiyaki way
  specifically on: -
  * Tuesday, September      9, 2008 at 10 am
  * Tuesday, September      16, 2008 at 10 am
  * Tuesday, September      23, 2008 at 10 am

  The recommendations will be presented to KASNEB for the review
  of the Certification Curriculum, on September 26, 2008 at a
  venue to be communicated closer to the date.
  This initiative is guided by the Kenya ICT Board's Strategic
  Objectives, mainly:
  * To develop and promote competitive ICT Institutions in Kenya
  * To develop and promote competitive ICT industries in Kenya

  TO PARTICIPATE
  To participate, kindly contact the Public Panels team on
  [2]publicpanels at ict.go.ke . Please attach a brief profile of
  yourself and the sector that you represent. The Board will
  then formally invite you to participate in the Panel. While
  the formal invitations will be issued entirely at the
  discretion of the board, the broad criteria for participation
  is as follows:-
  * Demonstrated experience and knowledge in the sub-sector
  * Expressed willingness to serve pro bono
  * Demonstrated general understanding of the educational
    offering in the sector.

  We also welcome via email to [3]publicpanels at ict.go.ke written
  submission on this topic, representations and opinions from
  the sector towards this important exercise and they will also
  be collated with the report.
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References

1. mailto:alkags at alkags.com
2. mailto:publicpanels at ict.go.ke
3. mailto:publicpanels at ict.go.ke
4. mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
5. http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
6. mailto:kamothonjenga at gmail.com
7. http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/[email protected]
People make a plan work, a plan alone seldom makes people work (Confucius).

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