Kenya: Higher Education in Need of Reform

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Samora Abisai

29 June 2011

opinion

The Joint Admissions Board has announced a double university intake this year; the boldest ever step in attempting to solve the heavy admissions backlog that has lasted more than two decades now. Although the move is laudable, it is only a faint scratch on the surface of the multilayered problems that bedevil our tertiary education system.

Understandably, the University Academic Staff Union has threatened industrial action if the double intake plan is effected this year. The dons have cited such genuine and serious concerns as infrastructural deficiencies, administrative inadequacies and systemic inefficiencies.

The tripartite problem of access, equity and quality remains a major challenge, even on the backdrop of the ever increasing demand for higher education. For instance, out of 90,000 students who qualified for university admission in 2009 and 2010, only 31,611 may find placement in our public universities. When he announced the double intake this month, the JAB chairman prof. Wangilla Baraza said, “This is in preparation for the first free primary education students who will have finished form 4 by 2015.Based on the current performance analysis, it is expected that more than 150,000 are likely to qualify for intake and we need to clear the backlog before then.”

Evidently, the higher education sub-sector is crying for urgent radical rethinking and practical reevaluation of its programs. For Kenya to reasonably benefit and participate in the new global knowledge economy, its systems of higher education must be more inclusive, and provide high quality knowledge relevant and responsive to the local needs but in the context of global socio-economic dynamics.

There have been many interventions to address the question of access but apparently not much has been done about equity and quality. The parallel degree (Module II) program has been in place for more than two decades now, enabling thousands of students to access tertiary education at a relatively higher cost. Many public universities also employ the shift method where students study in an alternating system to accommodate more numbers. And lately, many universities have chosen affiliation with middle level colleges and foreign universities. But more conspicuous are the ubiquitous constituent colleges and satellite campuses that are now landmarks of every average Kenyan urban centre. Distance learning is yet another innovation that has helped colleges navigate around the problem of inadequate bed space.

These measures have significantly enhanced access. Clearly, the trick is to device creative measures that would delink admission from bed space and tie it only to availability of academic, tuition and instructional facilities. Maseno University seems to have blazed the trail. In a recent advert, the university called for private companies and individuals to provide accommodation for their students around her campuses. Indeed, thousands of students will find descent accommodation in the villages around the university if the university administration gets into constructive partnerships with the locals. There is water and electricity and all that is needed is paving of the village paths and enhancing security. Other universities must take cue and boost their numbers too, of course while adhering to quality standards and efficient management.

In the 90s, the Public Universities Inspection Board called for a paradigm shift and radical rethinking on how to address the increasing demand for access and equity. Now, the need is even more urgent and serious.

In the next fiscal year, the government has cut its subsidies to universities from last year’s 48 billion shillings to 44 billion. This then calls for enhanced private sector investment and participation in the expansion of university education. Kenyatta University has successfully been attracting funding and support from such quarters with very impressive results. Instructively, it is only Kenyatta that has declared its capacity for double intake. Student population at KU has been expanding exponentially, many campuses have sprung up and the infrastructure at the main campus will remain unbeaten for many years to come.

The role of private universities in the higher education subsector cannot be overemphasized. But there still lies great potential behind their gates and they should be supported and encouraged to tap their full potential.

University education is meant to help address national challenges of socio-economic development, innovation, creativity, adoption and adaptation of scientific and technological changes for the benefit of Kenyans. There is need to rethink the way staff are recruited, utilized, and rewarded and reevaluate the nature of their teaching and research environment.

Equity issues such as gender, regional and ethnic balance, social disparities and inequalities should be addressed in expanding access to higher education. If you plan for a year, plant a seed, for ten years, plant a tree, for a hundred years, invest in people, so said a Chinese Philosopher.

The author is a high school teacher in Kisumu who comments on topical issues.

AllAfrica – All the Time