By Frank Kamuntu
Public universities will no longer offer certificate and diploma programmes, Kenya’s government announced.
Kenya’s Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said the certificate and diploma courses will be reserved for colleges and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
“We are saying now a university does not need to go down that road. You have to have a niche. An area that you are also known for…In any case, our middle-level colleges, our TVET institutions are now better placed to offer diploma courses,” Machogu said on Friday, March 1, during education stakeholders’ engagement at the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE).
The CS observed that the universities were experiencing high admission rates – which diluted the quality of education offered- because they chose to dangle all sorts of courses.
According to him, capitalising a niche was the way to go for the universities.
Machogu drew an example from Egerton University, which stood out as an institution majoring in agricultural programmes.
“This university specialises in the courses it offers, and it gets many students seeking to join despite the high school fees. Why? Because it has decided not to go into anything and everything,” he stated
For a seamless transition, Machogu said the courses will be removed systematically to the colleges.
In its report, the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms observed that the multiplicity of standards and qualifications occasioned wastage and inefficiencies, which affected the quality of education.
One of the PWPER recommendations was the institutionalisation of linkages of TVETs with industries and government projects; and developing pathways for continuity between TVET and Universities, and vice versa.
President William Ruto’s administration has been undertaking radical changes in the larger education sector.
The president was committed to abolishing the teacher delocalisation policy and replacing it with one that appreciates teachers as a national resource.
On the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), Ruto shelved his initial plan to scrap the system and revert to 8-4-4 but said he was open to further public engagements to review it.
“Education is central to our human capital development. That is why the Kenya Kwanza government is intentionally investing in quality education,” Ruto said.
He explained that the government would ensure the provision of quality, inclusive, and relevant education.
“We will routinely sharpen and make it better to help learners fulfil their potential,” he added.
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