Universities say courses are well structured

Most Public and Private Universities targeted by the Engineering Registration Board for allegedly offering low quality curriculum on selected engineering courses were reluctant to respond to the accusations.

Officials from the universities either said they had not received communication from the board over the disputed degree courses or declined to comment when reached by the The Standard On Saturday.

But at the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, authorities poked holes on the allegations by the engineering board, terming them unrealistic.

The University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor in-charge of Administration and Finance S K Makhanu said although Masinde Muliro, like other universities in the country faces a shortage of lecturers, its engineering courses are well structured and approved by the senate and other relevant authorities.

Prof Makhanu said the Engineering Registration Board was not well updated about the curriculum in universities and doubted the accuracy of the report that alleged that almost all the pubic and private universities offering various engineering degrees had not complied with its requirements.

"The problems here is that the engineering board is lagging behind the universities’ senates in upgrading the curriculum. We are a head of them, hence the perception we are not offering quality course," Makhanu told the Standard On Saturday.

He added: "I am a registered engineer and I know the board has no capacity to review the curriculum in the universities. The senates have been modernising their curricula but the board appears not to have updated its records."

He said as a young university, Masinde Muliro, has been constantly upgrading and streamlining its courses, many of which were borrowed from Moi University, of which it was a constituent college.

"Courses such as Bachelor of Technology have since been revised to Bachelor of Science," said Prof Makhanu.

He described the board’s report as a sensitive matter that could affect the future of more than 2,000 students taking engineering degrees across the country.

"I don’t believe there is a crisis. The shortage of lecturers as cited by the board is nothing new in institutions of higher learning. No university will ever have enough lecturers. In fact, even the Unesco students to teacher ratio for engineering subjects stands at between 1:8 and 1:10," said Makhanu.

At Moi University, a senior official who did not want to be quoted because he is not authorised to speak to the media confirmed they were already conducting the courses being disputed by the board.

He also criticised the board’s report that the universities were offering low quality engineering course.

"I think the board is complaining because some of our lecturers who are highly qualified are not yet registered with them. It is like they only recognise those registered with the board," said the officer.

A check on the websites of the public and private universities mentioned by the board showed that they were already offering the course under scrutiny.

At Daystar University, a spokesman at the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) said the institution had not started offering Electronic Engineering as listed by the board.

"We intend to offer the course but we have not started. We are still working on recommendations from the board and other relevant Government authorities. I don’t think it is right to claim we are already offering the degrees," said Mr Joab Namayi.

The University of Nairobi has listed the Bachelor of Science in Environment and Biosystem Engineering as an on-going course.

Efforts to get the University Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof J T Kimenyi were fruitless. A secretary in his office referred this reporter to the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof Odira Akumu, who was out on official duties.

An official at Prof Akumu’s office said: "Only the dean can speak on this matter but I think he will only speak about it after confirming the authenticity of the report from the Engineering Board."

At Methodist University, an assistant registrar at the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s (Academic) office said he had not heard about the concerns being raised by the Engineering Board.

"No comment. I have not seen that report and I don’t think we are doing anything wrong," he said.

The Egerton University Vice-Chancellor Prof J K Tuitoek was said to be in a meeting when The Standard On Saturday called his office. His secretary promised to call back but had not done so by the time we went to the press.