14 July 2008
editorial
Nairobi — The upgrade of the Kenya and Mombasa polytechnics to university colleges last year was widely praised as a timely move to expand opportunities for high-level training in technical and technological courses.
Unlike the traditional universities that lay emphasis on academics, the two were to be developed to become niche institutions specialising in skills and vocational training, a practice common in South Africa, Britain, Germany and Japan.
However, 10 months later, the two institutions remain in a state of paralysis because the Government has not appointed councils to manage them. They cannot continue operating as national polytechnics or university colleges.
There are two groups of students who sat for Form Four examinations in 2005 and 2006 respectively and who were selected to join the colleges for degree programmes, but who have not reported because the institutions cannot admit them.
The matter came out clearly last week when the respected academic, Prof Ali Mazrui, the chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture, visited Mombasa Polytechnic University College last week and was told the institution cannot admit students because it does not have a council.
Without councils, these colleges cannot appoint principals, launch degree courses or recruit staff. Nor can the managers make any decision like capital development because they would be operating outside the law.
What is happening is that the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, which should have advised the President on the appointment of the councils, has not done so. In the meantime, those qualifiers selected to join the institutions waste away.
But this is symptomatic of the general malaise afflicting higher education. Good plans are mooted but are rarely implemented to achieve the desired goal.
At a time when the country is grappling with large numbers of university qualifiers missing admission due to lack of places, it is insensitive to have some institutions remain non-operational.
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