Examining Chinese Technical Education Assistance in Developing World: A Case Study of Kenya

Kenya's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been facing challenges varying from lack of funding, presence of obsolete machines for teaching, lack of qualified tutors in the technical field, and lack of specification on technical skills, among others. Therefore, this study examines Chinese technical education assistance in developing world using the case study of Kenya. The study used a qualitative research design where the phenomenological method was used to collect the data using the unstructured interview questionnaires as a tool for data collection. The data was gathered using social media platforms such as WeChat, Skype, WhatsApp video and voice calls, and voice calls that were recorded, transcribed, and coded under the study themes. The study findings focused on the historical perspective of China's relations with Kenya. This objective identified that the China has been offering different types of assistance to Kenya to supports its technical education in addition to other developmental grants. In this context, China was able to invest in its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs, assisting it to unlock its potential to becoming an industrialized state from an agricultural state. The second objective was realized through noting that the type of technical assistance varied from scholarship, higher learning program cooperation, grants that supplied equipment, and material provision, among others. This was realized through platforms such as Kenya being initiated into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) membership in 2013 to support TVET programs, China supporting National Youth Service with 6.33 million $ to support technical programs, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) international offering equipment and teaching materials to TVET institutions, among others. The findings of this study indicate that Kenya's technical education environment has been acing challenges, and it might raise its goal of becoming an industrial state if it also receives assistance from China in the form of scholarship, infrastructure, loans, and joint program operations. In conclusion, Kenya TVET programs and institutions need support from Chinese assistance to boost their competency and align their programs with modem market demand.