Universities forced to shut down satellite campuses

What you need to know:

  • Laikipia University has shut down six campuses across the country, Kisii University has shut down five out of its 10 campuses and merged others.
  • Maasai Mara University has closed down five satellite campuses.
  • Commission for University Education chief executive officer David Some has warned that the government will not compromise on quality.
  • Campuses facing closure have no enough lecture rooms, library, seminar rooms, administrative areas, and residential and recreational space.

A number of universities are either shutting down or merging their satellite campuses as they move to comply with a directive by the higher education regulator.
This comes as the Commission for University Education (CUE) intensifies its inspections which could lead to closure of more campuses in a bid to safeguard the integrity of higher education.

Laikipia University has shut down six campuses across the country, Kisii University has shut down five out of its 10 campuses and merged others while Maasai Mara University has closed down five satellite campuses.

Other universities have relocated their campuses with CUE chief executive officer David Some warning that the government will not compromise on quality.

Prof Some said the commission will work with universities to ensure that the institutions adhere to the required standards.
The CUE is mandated by law to regulate establishment of university campuses in the country.

Campuses facing closure have no enough lecture rooms, library, seminar rooms, administrative areas, and residential and recreational space.

Meanwhile, the government is set to release modalities on how the 10,000 students it is set to sponsor will join private universities in September.
This will push the intake of government sponsored students from 74,389 to 84,389.

PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

The initiative will be on a pilot basis following the recommendations of a task force that was constituted by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i last month.

The task force proposed that Sh700 million be used to cater for government sponsored students in private universities out of Sh49 billion that has been allocated to public universities.

The government will also be required to fund universities as per the current funding model for universities at Sh70,000 per student paid by the State and Sh16,000 paid by the student.

According to the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results, a total of 165,766 candidates attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above.

The report notes that the additional 10,000 government sponsored students placed in private universities will increase the overall 2016/2017 intake of government sponsored students from 74,389 to 83,389.

“Consequently lowering the cut off point for entry to universities from a mean grade of B (plain) of 60 points for boys and B Minus for girls to B Minus of 58 points for boys and B minus of 56 points for girls,” states the report.

Students placed in both public and private universities would be entitled to Higher Education Loans Board subject to the mean test and the maximum differentiated unit cost would then be applied to all universities in subsequent years.

The placement will be on merit and other approved affirmative action criteria taking into account the students’ listed choice and priorities whether in public or private universities.