• The Ministry of Education wants to strengthen the office of the dean of students to have better mandate.
• Parents have been asked to create time to engage their children to avoid the killings that are become rampant.
Image: ENOS TECHE
The majority of universities cannot guide their students on career choices, Education Chief Administrative Secretary Colleta Suda said on Tuesday.
She said career offices responsible for advising students lack training to carry out their functions effectively. This results in a mismatch between training and market demands, the CAS said in Nairobi.
"We want to strengthen the office of the dean of students to have better mandate. That is why we opened the office of career services to address this missing link and ensure that we don't churn out graduates with a lot of papers but minimal impact," she said.
Suda said only 23 of the 74 universities have so far set up a career office.
The Ministry of Education has asked parents to create time to engage their children to avoid the increasing cases of suicide and murder because of the pressures of life.
Weighing in on the cold-blooded murders in universities, Suda said parents have abdicated their duties.
The "crimes of passion" have claimed several lives in the country, including university students. The majority of the people who have died in the hands of people who once proclaimed their love are women.
On April 9, Moi University medical student Ivy Wangechi was hacked to death by her childhood friend and who had become her stalker. She was killed outside Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital where she was an intern.
Naftali Kinuthia, who allegedly hacked Ivy to death, appeared in an Eldoret court on Monday to face murder charges. He was detained for 14 days at Naiberi police station in Eldoret.
In another incident, a student at Pwani University was stabbed on Monday by an estranged lover. Statistics show that least five students die each month in public universities.
Suda told parents to speak to their children to develop character and in turn help shape their attitude.
She said they need someone to talk to, someone to share with, someone to tell what they are passionate about.
“It is unfortunate that young people are exposed to so much, therefore, parents need to create time for them,. They need to discuss issues so as to avoid unfortunate incidences such as loss of lives,” Suda said.
She attributed lack of proper shaping to overwhelming emotions that lead to detrimental actions by young adults such as the recent killings.
"We cannot afford to continue losing people when they are this young .... There is no parent on earth who would want to loose their daughter or son under the circumstances we have witnessed recently. It is painful," Suda said.
Edited by Pamela Wanambisi