Nairobi — The Commission of Higher Education has been sidelined in most of the affairs involving its core functions in the country.

Its secretary, Prof Justin Irina, said this was so despite the commission's core function being to address issues on higher learning.

Said the don: "In our 20 years of operation, we have never participated in discussions on the establishment of (university) colleges, despite the fact that one of our core functions is to advise the (Education) minister when the institutions are being set up."

However, he said that they had advised the Government accordingly during the establishment and upgrading of the country's middle level colleges.

He was addressing a workshop organised by the commission at Naivasha Country Club on Monday. The workshop ended yesterday.

The commission's deputy secretary, Prof Wilson Kipng'eno, said the setting up of most of public universities in the country was motivated by political interests and not need.

"If the establishment of the universities is as a result of need, Coast Province should by now be having a public university," he said.

Commission member Okoth Ogendo accused the Government of failing to give the body a conducive environment in which to conduct its activities.

"Currently we are made to understand that there is a sessional paper on education, ...yet we were not asked for our input," said Prof Ogendo.

The commission, whose five-year mandate ends later this month, is charged with advising the minister for Education on matters of higher learning, including the establishment of public universities.

University of Nairobi Vice-Chancellor Crispin Kiamba said the admissions crisis facing the country's institutions of higher learning posed a major challenge to the education sector.

"Figures indicate that out of 200,000 students who sit Form Four exams, only 8,000 are absorbed by public universities and 4,000 by private universities. This should set alarm bells ringing," he said.

Prof Kiamba said that middle level colleges should be upgraded into universities to cope with the high number of students.

He added that education policy makers should not surrender their responsibility to political leaders.