[kictanet] GERMANY SECRET WEAPON

Thu Mar 14 11:51:09 EAT 2013

Even me, I think so!

After years in Frankfurt, after my dad's retirement, my parents ended up
building the house in the tiny town where I spent the first four years of
my life. Like any good African, I now have my rural home. Shags!

On 14 March 2013 11:47, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:

> Andrea my dear sister (on a light note) wewe umekuwa mwafrika! (You have
> become an African)
>
> Have an inspiring rest of the week.
>
> Ali Hussein
>  On 14 Mar 2013 11:40, "Andrea Bohnstedt" <
> andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com> wrote:
>
>> Not sure if it's a brand bubble, and as I said, I haven't lived in
>> Germany for a decade.
>>
>> German engineering is known to be excellent, but I think the German motor
>> industry went through a bit of a crisis years ago because the cars were
>> just too good. Japanese firms learned to build good, reliable cars much
>> cheaper - they weren't that excellent, but then there's a level of
>> excellence that might not be necessary for an ordinary consumer with a
>> limited budget. I'm sure the industry has adjusted for this by now. For
>> tech manufacturing, the southern German area - Bavaria - is worth looking
>> at.
>>
>> Like Facebook says: it's complicated. I think the vocational training
>> system is well worth looking at to see what inspiration Kenya can take to
>> professionalise the fundi/jua kali industry gradually.
>>
>> Anecdotally: My parents build a new house last year. Comes with all sorts
>> of exciting things: solar panels, the fireplace will heat the water supply
>> when it gets too hot, the house is so well isolated that you HAVE to air
>> out the rooms to let out moisture, the cooker switches itself off on its
>> own if there's no pot on it etc. When I visited, I stood kinda dumbfounded
>> in the shower in front of the water tabs wondering how on earth to make the
>> water come out and felt massively stupid. Engineers!! :)
>>
>>
>>
>> On 14 March 2013 11:29, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> This is interesting..
>>>
>>> Is there a 'Brand Bubble' emerging here? What we perceive as German
>>> excellence and what is the reality. I'm really curious. We know that for
>>> example German Engineering is held in the highest regard - precision
>>> machine tooling (even the Chinese use a lot of German Machinery to
>>> manufacture computers, cell-phones etc) or is this just a perception and
>>> the reality is very different?
>>>
>>> My question then is what can we learn from this? We know that the rush
>>> to turn all our polytechnics to universities is not sustainable. But what
>>> is the threshold? What is the right mix of tertiary and universities?
>>>
>>> Ali Hussein
>>> CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd
>>> Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd
>>>
>>> +254 773/713 601113
>>>
>>> "The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On Mar 14, 2013, at 11:10 AM, Norbert Wildermuth <norbert at ruc.dk> wrote:
>>>
>>>  Being a German living abroad (in Copenhagen, Denmark), where I have
>>> been teaching at three universities in media studies and communication
>>> since 1996, I agree very much with the points that Andrea raises.
>>> Unfortunately the German Academic system is less profession oriented than
>>> your input seems to suggest Charles.****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> best regards****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> Norbert****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> *From:* kictanet [
>>> mailto:kictanet-bounces+norbert=ruc.dk at lists.kictanet.or.ke<kictanet-bounces+norbert=ruc.dk at lists.kictanet.or.ke>]
>>> *On Behalf Of *Andrea Bohnstedt
>>> *Sent:* 14. marts 2013 09:25
>>> *To:* Norbert Wildermuth
>>> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>>> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] GERMANY SECRET WEAPON****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> Charles, could you send me the data source for that percentage that two
>>> thirds of German students work as apprentices? I think that highly
>>> unlikely, not the least because you typically finish A levels (the German
>>> Abitur) at age 19, and university studies take around five years (I haven't
>>> lived in Germany for ten years, but at least back then, there were few
>>> universities that offered the anglophone division of undergraduate and
>>> postgraduate studies, so you usually go the whole distance).
>>>
>>> Some university students may undergo other vocational training (one of
>>> my friends trained as a carpenter before she studied to become an
>>> architect), but I doubt it's two thirds.
>>>
>>> It's not correct to say that the government arranges apprenticeships.
>>> What Germany does have is a relatively well developed vocational training
>>> system that is a combination of on-the-job training and parallel classroom
>>> training - and this can be anything from banking to carpentry to car
>>> mechanics etc.
>>>
>>> Germans like to regulate things, so the whole system is very regulated.
>>>
>>> The German university system has actually often been accused of
>>> producing students that are academically overqualified and of not much use
>>> in practical issues. In the anglophone system, in contrast, you can pick up
>>> the academic basicsin your undergraduate years and then gain practical
>>> experience - unless you do want an academic focus, in which case you
>>> continue studying.
>>>
>>> I think the takeaway for Kenya would be not to keep proliferating
>>> universities, but to focus more on creating a parallel system of vocational
>>> training and maybe polytechnics with a far more practical focus. That way,
>>> you could harness the energy and skills in the jua kali sector. Mind you, I
>>> don't think this is an either-or - for a diversified economy, you need both
>>> the high-end academic and research sector and also the vocational training
>>> sector.
>>>
>>>
>>> Andrea ****
>>>
>>> On 14 March 2013 08:15, charles nduati <charlesnduati2002 at yahoo.co.uk>
>>> wrote:****
>>>
>>> Hi Listers,****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> I don't know if you are aware that Germany is the only country in Europe
>>> that hasn't so far experienced economic meltdown. There trick is that two
>>> thirds of Germany University students work as apprentices which
>>> are arranged by the government. In other words, their education policy is
>>> that you acquire skills first then sharpen them with degrees later.****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> For me, all I want is whichever coalition that can implement these kind
>>> of policies that are already tried and tested.****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> me two cents****
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>> ** **
>>>
>>>  ****
>>>
>>> CHARLES N. NDUATI
>>> DIRECTOR,
>>> REVENUE GENERATION AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT -KENYATTA UNIVERSITY
>>> MOBILE:254-722728815
>>> EMIAL:charlesnduati2002 at yahoo.co.uk,cnduati at gmail.com,****
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt>
>>> Publisher
>>>
>>> www.ratio-magazine.com
>>> www.africa-assets.com
>>>
>>>
>>> ****
>>>
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>>>
>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>>
>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
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>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>>
>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
>>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
>>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt>
>> Publisher
>>
>> www.ratio-magazine.com
>> www.africa-assets.com
>>
>>
>>
>>

-- 
Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt>
Publisher

www.ratio-magazine.com
www.africa-assets.com
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