Public Universities Set for Major Reforms.
Kenya’s public universities will undergo significant restructuring, potentially resulting in the dismissal of thousands of staff. After a strategic meeting, President William Ruto and university Vice Chancellors decided to eliminate academic programs that fail to attract sufficient student interest. The meeting, held at State House, Nairobi, outlined a comprehensive plan for overhauling university programs to align with current demand and specialization.
This reform initiative mirrors the 2018 proposal by the late former Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, which aimed to merge universities and eliminate non-responsive courses. Under the new plan, the universities and the State Department of Higher Education must identify and discontinue programs that do not have adequate student enrollment. Additionally, the plan will transfer some programs to institutions with a strong focus and expertise in those fields. This shift towards specialization will mean that universities will concentrate on specific academic disciplines.
Data from the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service highlights the severity of the issue, showing that over 100 courses had fewer than 10 students enrolled in the 2023 university placements. Programs likely to face discontinuation include Food Security, Horticulture, Soil Science, Forestry, Dryland Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Geophysics and Mineralogy, Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology, and Environmental Chemistry.
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Other under-enrolled courses, such as Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Bachelor of Science Networks and Communication Systems, Bachelor of Industrial Technology, Water Resource and Environmental Management, Environmental Resource Management, Library and Knowledge Management, and Bachelor of Arts Chaplaincy, also face potential elimination.
The restructuring will also involve a review of the current university funding model. The Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) model, which previously covered up to 80% of student fees, has faced significant financial challenges due to underfunding by the government. The Ministry of Education reports that the government currently only covers 42% of the DUC, leaving universities with a 38% funding gap. In response, President Ruto has pledged to increase government funding to 50% of the DUC. He has also directed university Vice Chancellors to develop strategies to attract more students to courses that are crucial for Kenya’s advancement.
These reforms are expected to lead to a significant reorganization of the university system, focusing on enhancing the quality and relevance of higher education in Kenya. The transition to specialized institutions aims to ensure that universities offer programs that meet the needs of the job market and national development goals.
Public Universities Set for Major Reforms.
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