Matuga MP Kassim Tandaza now wants parents to offer career guidance to children in order to curb joblessness among millions of educated youths.
Mr Tandaza said failure to select marketable courses for students in colleges and universities were among the major contributors to the high rate of unemployment in the country.
He highlighted that many times, candidates end up selecting courses that are ‘irrelevant’ making it difficult to secure jobs thereafter, while a number of people also look at careers depending on the complexity of the names.
“We do not have nuclear plants in Kenya but you will hear someone taking a degree in nuclear science, spending a lot of time and money only to end up unemployed,” he said.
The lawmaker said for this reason, parents should play the major role of guiding their children even as he encouraged learners who have completed high school to enroll in technical institutions which offer skill based learning.
The MP spoke at Matuga, Kwale County during a launch of seven million shillings bursary program for college and university students in the sub-county.
Despite various efforts by both county and national governments to boost education, unemployment rate in the country remains high with the majority of those without jobs being youth between 20 and 29 years.
Mr Tandaza said to curb this, youth must go for marketable courses that are high in demand in the country to prevent them from seeking for jobs in vain years after completing higher education.
“Parents should strive hard and ensure that the youth enroll in technical and medical science courses so that that they secure more employment opportunities,” he said.
According to a quarterly labor report released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in September 2020,the number of unemployed people dropped from 17.8 million to 15,9 million Kenyans.
The legislator also warned Kwale parents against sending their children to study short courses in counties in other regions citing huge expenses and bills.
“It breaks my heart to see thousands of people travelling to other counties only to do courses in driving or computer packages when all this can be offered in nearby institutions,” he said.
On his part, Kwale Nominated MCA Suleiman Nzala, national government should also prioritize giving bursaries and financial support to children with special needs, adding that the bursaries should be at least half of the required school fees.
Kwale county has been among those leading in national examinations in Coast region after the county government led by Governor Salim Mvurya invested in millions in form of bursaries and scholarships.
