CS Jacob Kaimenyi puts back street colleges on notice

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi is developing a Bill that will eradicate bogus colleges that offer various programmes without the Government’s green light. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

NAIROBI, KENYA: Time is running out for bogus colleges that dupe gullible learners by awarding them fake or substandard certificate and diploma papers.

Once the Kenya Qualifications Framework Bill (KQF) becomes law, no institution shall be allowed to offer any qualification that will not be authorised by the Kenya Qualifications Authority (KQA), a body that will be established under the law.

In addition to this, all qualifying bodies such as the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) and the Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (Kasneb) will be regulated by the authority.

These details emerged during an education stakeholders meeting to discuss the Bill. Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said there are close to 30 qualifying agencies, adding that they are neither coordinated nor certifications harmonised.

SECOND READING

Members of House Committee on Education Science and Technology, University Vice Chancellors, Principals of various colleges, Kenya Private Sector Alliance, and other interested organisations were represented.

House committee on education science and technology chairperson Sabina Chege said the Bill will be tabled for second reading this week.

It also emerged that students will be free to negotiate a course and pursue it on a modular basis. This means a student can be taught a module of his/her choice and get a certificate validated by the qualifications authority.

The meeting heard that the amount of time one takes to study a given subject will no longer be the emphasis but the competencies one can demonstrate to have acquired after studying.

“This will be the work of the qualifications framework. There will be flexibility so that it is not just about duration and time spent but the content and competencies,” said Samwel Wanyonyi, director of technical training at the Ministry of Education.