- The CS said the proposed law will rein in rogue universities and align courses with the job market needs.
- Machogu is also pushing to have all universities categorised into six groups.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has unveiled a three-pronged strategy to anchor his sweeping reforms targeting to radically alter operations of public universities.
Machogu wants the accreditation of universities reviewed, universities forced to drop diploma and certificate courses and the mode of appointment of university management overhauled.
The CS has insisted that he will push on with his vision to improve not just the management and administration of public universities but also ensure the relevance of courses offered through period reviews.
As part of his reform programme, Machogu is banking on the enactment of the University Bill, 2024 that proposes to support his vision including changing the criteria for the accreditation of universities.
"Every academic programme accredited by the Commission for University Education shall subsist for six years," the Bill reads in part
If the Bill is enacted into law, then each university will be forced to offer certain categories of courses and seek approval for their programmes from the Commission of University Education every six years.
The Commission for University Education is the institution mandated by law to accredit universities and programmes offered based on certain set criteria.
It is currently undergoing public participation by the Ministry before they are sent to Parliament for processing.
Machogu told the Star that the new Bill seeks to cap the validity period that a university can offer academic course programs so that they can then reapply for review and renewal of the accreditation upon expiry of six years.
"This will ensure regular monitoring on the relevance of programmes offered by universities and the capacity of the same institutions to continue offering the courses,'' Machogu said.
"We must know which university is offering what course and at what time so that we can rein in rogue ones."
In a wide-ranging interview, Machogu said the proposed law will cure challenges that have been witnessed in the past where some universities continue to offer irrelevant courses that are not in tandem with market needs.
"It's important that our educational institutions align themselves with industry needs, ensuring graduates possess the skill sets demanded on the international stage,'' Machogu said.
"It's not merely about obtaining degrees but about equipping graduates with the practical skills and knowledge required in today's dynamic industries."
He said the ministry has called for written submissions from members of the public and stakeholders, which they expect to receive by March 15, 2024
" There will still be a further window for public and stakeholder participation when the Bills are submitted to the National Assembly," the CS said.
Calling on stakeholders to support the proposed law, Machogu said the Bill will see universities be forced to tailor educational programmes to meet the evolving needs of industries through innovation and the cultivation of research excellence.
The government is keen to ensure universities are self-sustaining in a bid to save them from the swamp of deep debts standing at Sh62 billion. according to the 2023/24 National Government Budget Implementation Review Report.
Should the Universities Bill, 2024 be assented to law, every university intending to continue offering an accredited academic programme, shall at least six months before the expiry of the validity period, cause a review of the programme.
The review will determine its relevance and the capacity of the university to continue offering the programme.
The university shall then submit its reviewed programme to the Commission for University Education before accreditation.
The Bill says it will then fall on the Cabinet Secretary to prescribe regulations to facilitate the implementation of this section.
The Ministry also seeks to accredit universities for specific academic programmes by categorising the higher institutions of learning.
In the bill, the universities have been classified into six, ending the current arrangement where the institutions offer a cocktail of programmes.
The categories of universities mentioned in the Bill include; Research universities; Science and Technology universities; Comprehensive universities; Technical universities; and Specialized; and Graduate Universities.
" A category of a university described under subsection 1 shall not be converted to or offer a programme offered by a university in a different category without accreditation under this Part," the Bill says.
Regarding the need for universities to specialise in the courses that they offer, Machogu said the proposed law will provide clear criteria for the categorisation.
"We are saying now a university does not need to go down that road of offering anything and everything. You have to have a niche. An area that you are also known for," the CS said.
For instance, Machogu noted, at one time Egerton University was popularly known for offering agricultural, livestock, and veterinary courses but has since diversified into other courses, losing its lustre.
The CS also gave the example of Strathmore University which is popularly known for offering finance and accounting courses in the country a strategy that has enhanced its niche in the market.
"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," Machogu said.
Sitting at the helm of the education ministry in the country, Machogu said his leadership is also pushing to reform universities by abolishing Diploma and certificate courses offered at the institutions.
This is seen as a deliberate move by the government to empower colleges and Technical, and Vocational Training Institutions in the country.
"In any case, our middle-level colleges, our TVET institutions are now better placed to offer diploma courses," Machogu said.
Allaying fears of destabilizing universities and students, Machogu said the diploma courses have to be phased out systematically and progressively from universities.
"This is to allow TVET institutions and national Polytechnics as well as other middle-level colleges to offer the diplomas," he said.
At the heart of Machogu's radical reforms at the institution of higher learning is a proposal for qualification for the appointment of Vice Chancellors, Chancellors of universities and the Councils.
Under the proposals in the Universities Bill, 2024 for one to qualify for appointment a Chancellor of a University must have a holder of an earned doctorate from a recognized university in Kenya.
Initially, the University Act 2012 provided that a person shall only be appointed as a Chancellor where the person is deemed to be of high moral character and integrity in accordance with Chapter Six of the Constitution.
In the case of the Vice Chancellor, the Bill proposes that holders of such an office must be professors with an earned PhD, from a university recognized in Kenya.
They must also have at least ten years of experience in leadership and management at the senior level in a university or research institution and meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.