Private initiatives in higher education in Kenya

Abstract

Africa's higher education crisis has prompted the growth of private institutions. Enrollments are very low and in most African countries do not account for a significant proportion of university enrollments. The largest number of private institutions are in Kenya which is the subject of a case study. Private institutions provide professional training in fields of employment opportunity but also offer an education that emphasizes character building functions of higher studies. Private higher education is expensive to provide and costly to attend. Many private institutions are caught in a dilemma. They can not achieve significant efficiencies by reducing instructional costs without damage to the quality of their programs, and they are reluctant to raise tuition and accommodation charges because of the distorting effects on student recruitment. As long as public higher education is provided at low or no cost and private higher education is entirely self-supporting, the private sector will have a peripheral role in higher education in Kenya and other African countries.

Revenue generation strategies in Sub-Saharan African universities

“…However, there has still been a rapid increase in both the number of public universities and enrolment in higher education throughout the African continent, which appears to have a further negative impact on resources per student (Sawyerr, 2004;Beverwijk, 2005). From a starting point of six universities in the 1960s (Eisemon, 1992), by 2010 there were at least 1015 higher education institutions (HEIs) across Africa (Fifth Edition of the Guide to Higher Education in Africa, 2010) 2 . According to Hauptman (2007), the fundamental financing challenge now facing higher education systems around the world is the real or perceived crunch of enrolments growing faster than resources.…”

Market Model of Financing Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examples from Kenya

“…These confrontations tended to persuade nervous governments to return to the status quo. However, state subsidies could no longer adequately finance the surging enrollments resulting from population explosions of the 1980s (Eisemon, 1992) and the status quo could no longer hold, especially in the 1990s. Moreover, international donors and financial institutions such as the World Bank had lost great optimism in Africa's higher education, at least in its prevailing form.…”

“…2 In many African countries, university education was a modest affair, mostly supply driven during the 1960s when many of them gained independence. There were only six universities then (Eisemon, 1992). However, as years progressed, a combination of several factors led to demand-driven higher education culminating into the current 120 state universities.…”

Private Higher Education in Africa: Old Realities and Emerging Trends

“…Drop-out rates in African PHEIs are low and graduation rates are high not only due to the need for monetary gain but also because of student motivation and better monitoring of student progress (Kuhanga, 2006;Varghese, 2006). In some African countries, PHEIs are becoming the first choice of parents and students as they do not experience the incessant strikes that plague public institutions with negative impacts on graduation time (Eisemon, 1992;Ajayi, 2006;Osokoya, 2007;Kwakwa et al, 2012;Iruonagbe et al, 2015). In Kenya and Ethiopia, PHEIs have also been credited with creating a conducive environment for dialogue with students and staff which has not been the case in public universities (Abagi, 2006;Tamrat, 2008).…”

“…In countries such as Kenya and Nigeria, some semi-elite PHEIs have overtaken their public counterparts in terms of organisational features, rankings, meeting accreditation requirements, public ratings and facilities (Eisemon, 1992;Ajayi, 2006;Ndegwa, 2008;Omuta, 2010;Omomia et al, 2014).…”