Statistics show that over 500,000 students are enrolled in university each year for higher education.
It is at the university that a student establishes the route to which he or she wants to carve their life into.
After KCSE results are out, candidates who meet the cut-off points by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Board for admission to a degree or a diploma programme, select a course which they desire to pursue.
After the KUCCPS releases results, the student is very hyperactive and eagerly awaiting the enrollment dates to join the university.
However, it becomes a challenge to some after joining the university and realizing that the course they were offered to pursue is there but the equipment necessary for effective learning is not there.
The situation gets worse during internship because instead of students going there to polish their skills and gain more experience, the trainers are forced to start from zero which is time-consuming.
For example, universities allocate places for a nursing course with a clear understanding that the university lacks the equipment to assist students in their practical works and this prune to the student incompetence and loss of credibility in their work, and more serious partly endangering the well-being of the people where this student ends up being employed.
Perhaps this is why there are cases of operations gone wrong on the patient in the hands of incompetent nurses.
Many courses involve practicals and research since the students are mainly here to gain skills and learn.
Another example is a student who enrols for journalism only to find out that the university lacks a studio or a production room. This is quite frustrating because such courses involve a lot of fieldwork.
It becomes a burden to students who after paying school fees, circumstances force them to squeeze their budget to purchase a camera which is expensive and not affordable to all students.
The situation gets worse during internship because instead of students going there to polish their skills and gain more experience, the trainers are forced to start from zero which is time-consuming.
This is one of the reasons why many students are abandoning the courses paid for by their parents, which also means giving up their dreams since not all students have the potential to transfer from one institution to another for the same course as much as it is costly it is tiring.
Universities are becoming pocket gophers, eating the student roots from underground due to lack of authenticity and slowly killing their dreams and the final result is an incompetent graduate who is sent into the competitive world to look for jobs.
It is a serious matter that needs quick and effective action taken therefore a call to the government and the Ministry of Education to look into this matter, and ensure that universities offer a course in which they have all the required facilities to ensure effective learning.
The government should also invest more in the education sector and promote smooth learning to produce well equipped, competent graduates as well as promote the youth in achieving their dreams.
Student, Maasai Mara University
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
