We can take our universities to top ranking

Kenyan, and for that matter African, universities have not fared well in international rankings. There are several reasons for the poor showing of our institutions of higher learning.

First, our universities are competing to offer courses in all disciplines. Few have bothered to specialise and those who initially concentrated on certain areas have abandoned their objectives.

Kenyatta University was originally set up to offer courses in education. It now embraces all disciplines.

Moi University was to focus on technology in the spirit of the 8-4-4 system of education. JKUAT was meant to drive technology in agriculture, while Egerton University was also meant to excel in agriculture, with focus on extension of knowledge to the rural population.

Second, most do not have the necessary facilities to cater for the large numbers of students they enrol.

They are now competing to set up campuses anywhere they can get space, sometimes in environments that are not conducive to learning.

University education has been commercialised and the driving force is making money. Therefore, university administrations have wilfully turned a blind eye on shamefully congested lecture rooms.

Third, there is shortage of lecturers, especially in specialised fields such as engineering and medicine. Most universities rely on part-time lecturers, who shuttle between colleges.

These lecturers are not scholars and have no time to work towards that goal because they are too busy trying to make money from giving as many lessons as they can.

They have no time to conduct research and publish papers and books, as scholars are expected to do.

Reliance on unqualified lecturers is the cause of the fourth reason for our universities’ failure; poor quality of teaching and examination process.

Our universities have abandoned structured tutorials, lectures, and practicals. Some of the classes are so large that they cannot be split into the traditional tutorial and laboratory groups of a maximum of six students.

The examination processes for continuous assessment tests and major examinations have been compromised.

Students are squeezed into tiny examination rooms, leading to rampant cases of cheating. The marking of scripts is also affected, being rushed because of heavy work load and scarcity of time.

The fifth setback is lack of international exposure among university administrators and lecturers. Most staff are home-bred, some getting their Bachelors, Masters, and PhDs from the same university. Sabbatical leave meant to promote international linkages are no more.

Political interference has also played a leading role in the decline of university education in Kenya. Council members are picked according to political and tribal considerations.

Even students are affected, as was witnessed in recent students’ union elections in which external political and financial interference was on display.

Nepotism and tribalism have influenced remuneration. This encourages discontent among academic staff, who feel unappreciated. Poorly paid lecturers cannot be trusted to deliver quality service.