Kenya National Association of Parents questions quality of Kenyan degrees

By STANLEY MWAHANGA and  OMONDI ONYANGO

A parent's lobby group has questioned the quality of education offeredin higher learning institutions  and demanded an immediate review of the, curriculum, teaching and examination practices in theinstitutions.

The Kenya National Association of Parents questioned the scope and quality of degrees offered to graduates and recommended the establishment of a singular joint examination body to curb the cheating which they argued has compromised standards of higher education in the country.

Through their association, the parents want an exam body which will oversee the curriculum and exams quality in line with international standards in all public and universities and tertiary institutions.

Kenya National Association of Parents (KNAP), secretary general Mr Musau Ndunda argued that the education sector was losing its credibility and needed radical surgery.

Addressing newly elected parent’s officials at the Coast Girls High Schools in Mombasa yesterday, Ndunda said there was need for the government to establish a joint exams body to regulate the quality of education and minimise cases of cheating which have become rife in recent years.

“There is a lot of cheating in higher learning institution that is jeopardising the quality of education in the country,” Ndunda said.

The calls come amidst the recent closure of Egerton University, Njoro campus in Nakuru county over claims of exams leakage which the parents said was a just a tip of the iceberg.

Ndunda attributed the dwindling quality of education to under qualified teaching personnel in colleges and universities catalysed by the overburdened lecturers who hop from one university to another to offer lectures.

He noted that in the process the lectured were overwhelmed by the amount of work and resorted to awarding grades haphazardly students.

 “It is high time that the government comes up with one examination board to add checks and balances to salvage the education system.

He added: “We have heard cases where students are given grades that they have worked for and some are even buying their research and thesis compromising education. The government must come out strongly to curb this serious disease called sexual transmitted grades.”

This comes amidst the back drop that the level of education in Kenyans universities is dwindling following reports that most of the graduates produced by the universities are half baked and cannot cope with real life experience once they secure jobs after graduation.

Reports of widespread malpractices in the education sector has been a subject that has only been tackled in high schools with nationalexamination cheating cases hitting roof tops in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)  and Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.

But now parents are raising the red flag that the country highest learning levels are soiled and needed an overhaul for the checks and balances.

According to the Secretary General, students in colleges and universities have devised ways of ensuring that they gain mileage including selling their bodies in exchange for quality grades that will deem them marketable in society after graduation.

Public university were also put on the spot by the parents for trying to degrade education level in the country by swallowing mid-level tertiary institution in the country in the guise of expansion.

According to the parents the poor expansion mechanism tactics which they claimed were being used universities was ruining the education and devaluing education.

The said the universities were now overwhelmed by the classes after their expansion programmes citing that the lecturer student ratio in most public institution of education did not meet the education standards and called on the government to come up with mechanism to see that universities do not swallow mid-level colleges as they were hurting the colleges many of which are specialized in particular field of study.

“There has to be control on the way University are taking up mid-level colleges and transforming them into as their own satellite campus,” Ndunda claimed.

“This move is killing the tertiary institution which offers specialized causes, such as technical crafts and teaching. Look at what they have done to institutions like Kibabi teachers college which was specializing in teaching sciences, or Pwani University  in Agriculture and also look at what they have turned our national polytechnic’s which are supposed to be offering technical subject, if no measures are put in place they will ruin the education sector,” says  Ndunda.

Only for society and corporates to be subjected to be shocked at the poor quality of human man power our universities produce. Mombasa county branch Chairman, Henson Mwasera said education is an integral investment in the country for both parents and the government and there was need for it to be treated with caution hence all the stakeholders in the sector needed to be accountability.