Re-inventing Kenya’s university: From a “Graduate-mill” to a development-oriented paradigm

Chege, Mwangi

doi:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2015.07.002

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Solving the problems, on the other hand, will also incorporate the teaching pillar, in equipping individuals for their personal, professional and civic lives, either along a perspective of human capital theory of skills for enhanced productivity or alternatively a capabilities perspective with a broader conception of human agency. In addition, it will also involve a significant service function, in allowing the uptake of the ideas generated by the university in society, whether through technology transfer to industry, advice to governments, or interchange and developmental work with communities [as explored in Chege (2015) in relation to Kenya]. The third of these functions is rather less concrete in terms of the activities involved, but it rests on the principle that universities provide a space for free interchange of ideas without constrictive influences from external bodies, and allow for as broad a range of social groups as possible to contribute their ideas.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universities and the post-2015 development agenda: an analytical framework

McCowan

2016

High Educ

109

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Higher education is increasingly acknowledged by national governments and international agencies as a key driver of development, and systems are expanding rapidly in response to rising demand. Moreover, universities have been attributed a central role in the post-2015 development agenda and the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Yet questions of institutional models and their differential impact on society have not received sufficient attention. This paper presents an analysis of the 'anatomy' of the university in order to identify the salient changes in the institution across time and location in relation to knowledge and relationships with society. A framework is proposed structured around three key dimensions: first, 'value'-the extent to which knowledge is treated as intrinsically or instrumentally worthwhile; second, 'function'-the role of the university in terms of storage, transmission, production or application of knowledge; third, 'interaction'-the flow of ideas and actors between the university and society. This analytical framework is then utilised to assess two dominant tendencies in global higher education: commodification and unbundling. Finally, implications are drawn out for universities' potential impact on development in lowand middle-income countries in the context of these contemporary trends.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universities and the post-2015 development agenda: an analytical framework

McCowan

2016

High Educ

109

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“…Furthermore, for many students in Kenya, large-scale lectures represent the only form of teaching, with few opportunities for tutorials or breakout seminar groups. Very high student lecturer ratios are evident across public institutions in Kenya, with an average of one lecturer for 70 students (Chege 2015). In fact, these figures may even underestimate the ratio, given that public universities are believed to under-report student numbers on account of confidentiality of the exact size of their private student cohort.…”

Section: Staffingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the same time, the country is placing significant emphasis on the role of higher education in national development, as evidenced by the Vision 2030 document, which places technological innovation and high-level skills centre stage (Chege 2015;Republic of Kenya 2007). The Commission for University Education (CUE) has implemented a range of measures to ensure quality assurance processes are in place at every higher education institution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of higher education in Kenya: Addressing the conundrum

McCowan

2018

International Journal of Educational Development

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Despite the consensus amongst all stakeholders of the critical need for action in the higher education sector in Kenya, national and institutional drives for quality have had limited impact. This study aims to assess the barriers to enhancing quality in Kenyan higher education, drawing on interviews, observations and documentary analysis as part of a three year study. Three types of barrier are identified in the data: resources (staffing and infrastructure), governance (organisational structures and stakeholder participation) and pedagogical culture (social hierarchies and approaches to teaching, curriculum and assessment). On the basis of these findings, it is argued that a 'threepronged' response is needed: reforms in policy and practice must address simultaneously the material conditions of universities, the forms of institutional organisation, and the cultural relations of teaching and learning.However, there are now widespread concerns that this rapid expansion has led to a degradation of quality, particularly in the lower-income countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. The predicament has manifested itself variously in poor physical infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, irrelevant curricula, academic staff without the required qualifications, or moonlighting in multiple institutions (

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“…Kenya Vision 2030 strategy emphasises that Kenya should provide globally competitive quality education training and research to her citizens for development and to enhance individual wellbeing. It further emphasises the important role that university education needs to play to achieve these development goals (Chege, 2015). However, in spite of the fact that the contribution of university education is on the policy agenda, it remains far from clear what their new responsibilities will entail.…”

Section: University Education In Kenyamentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of Kenyan universities in national development

Odhiambo

2018

FIRE

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The contribution of university education to sustainable development of society has become one of the most important activities of higher education institutions. After 55 years of independence, it is time to take a critical look at the role of university education in nation building in Kenya. Since independence, access and difficulties of maintaining standards of quality and efficiency with marginal available resources- more recently highlighted by a commission on higher education report- have been some of the key challenges in university education and these have impacted on the sector

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Re-inventing Kenya’s university: From a “Graduate-mill” to a development-oriented paradigm

Cited by 17 publications

References 24 publications

Universities and the post-2015 development agenda: an analytical framework

Universities and the post-2015 development agenda: an analytical framework

Quality of higher education in Kenya: Addressing the conundrum

The role of Kenyan universities in national development

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