Suspension of varsity courses hurting students

A year later, some students are still at home, waiting to be recalled to resume studies after suspension of law and engineering courses in some universities.

This follows the war between professional regulatory agencies and universities over law and engineering courses offered in some institutions.

This is agonising considering that completion of these courses takes between five and six years. It seems it is going to take long for the affected universities to comply fully with the requirements of the regulatory bodies.

Some students who had completed their studies had to be recalled to undertake additional units to get recognition by the Engineers Registration Board of Kenya.

It is alleged that universities have in the past been running unaccredited degree programmes, mostly in engineering, law and medicine. This has mostly affected government sponsored students in public universities. Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang‘i and Commission for University Education should intervene and save these poor students.

There is also need for Parliament to urgently pass a law for the establishment of a body to regulate the training and practice of technologists who are distinct from engineers. Most universities developed curricular for several undergraduate technologist programmes in the hope that the graduates would end up being certified technologists.

The engineering bodies have declined to admit these technologists into their fold and it also suspected they are resisting the establishment of another body to regulate the profession.