Educationists welcome reforms but urge caution

By Stephen Makabila

If Higher Education Minister William Ruto walks the talk, higher education may soon under-go the biggest transformation since independence, but eyebrows are being raised over its practicability.

First, a double intake, reminiscent to the 1990 one when the first 8-4-4 group and A-level graduates were jointly admitted by the Joint Admission Board, is in the offing in the 2011/12 academic year.

Equally, the total number of universities are to be doubled under one year, pushing the current total of seven to 16 by the end of next year, an open university with a 20,000 student capacity to be opened by January, irrelevant courses to be up-rooted, and science and technology oriented courses boosted.

While education stakeholders have welcomed the reforms, some feel further consultations should be carried out to avoid disaster in the country’s institutions of higher learning.

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Muga K’Olale in his reaction noted there are no "irrelevant courses in universities".

Most lecturers in public universities agree that all courses offer knowledge to graduates to become productive in society. "Some of the students who study science courses end up in professions that have some humanities background and vice-versa. Its tragic to term some courses in our universities as more important than others," a lecturer told The Standard.

There are also some feeling that the massive changes being proposed by the ministry may not be practical, given logistical and financial challenges of an economic that is already shouldering the burden of implementing a new Constitution.

Ruto has indicated he is simply implementing a 2006 Government report to improve the quality of university education. The study Public Universities Education Board led by Prof Kabiru Kinyanjui, recommended that universities review their courses in line with the changing market demands.

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However, some of the reforms are derived from a Task Force report National Strategy for University Education 2007-2015, chaired by Prof Shem Wandinga.

Ruto recently gave public universities an ultimatum to phase out all courses that will not help the country industrialise, to continue getting government funding.

The Architectural Association of Kenya chairman Steven Oundo says students who want to take art subjects should not be discriminated against. He says the country requires lawyers, teachers and even historians.

University of Nairobi Physics lecturer, Angeyo Kalambuka, says every discipline, when well conceived, developed and applied, is important.

The Science and Technology Act Cap 250 provides legal framework for science and technology co-ordination and development, but since 1977, there has been no guideline on the conduct of national science, technology and innovation.

This, they say, made it difficult for public institutions of higher learning to produce manpower to champion a knowledge-based economy, as the technical education sector had no proper regulation measures.

On a possible double in-take to triple the number of university students, public universities were given two months by the minister to come up with suggestions about what needed to be done to solve the huge backlog.

Annually, about 24,000 Form Four leavers who qualify to join university wait for up to two years before joining public universities.

Compliments to the minister also come from his crackdown on bogus colleges that do not meet the right training requirements.

The Kenya National Association of Parents (KNAP), Secretary General Musau Ndunda has on his part welcomed reformed initiated by the minister, noting some may save parents from exploitation.