University Education In Kenya

This book examines the concept of the democratization of governance in universities in Kenya with particular emphasis on students involvement in governance processes and decision making. Data were collected from members of the student community utilizing a structured self-administered questionnaire and from purposively selected key informants and focus group discussants drawn from Kenyatta University (representing the public sector) and the United States International University (representing the private sector). The guiding argument for the study was that shared governance, one of the principles of good governance, is critical in enabling the universities to deliver their visions and the missions effectively. The results revealed that while in principle, Kenyan universities have embraced democratic governance in which all stakeholders, including students, have a role to play, in practice they continue to violate the core principles of good governance, particularly shared governance. Specifically, students, who are major stakeholders in university education, are largely excluded from significant structures of governance thereby limiting their influence and participation. Although their representation is mainly provided via student self-governance organs (unions, associations and/or councils), their effectiveness is undermined considerably by the lack of trust and confidence of the student body and the unending manipulation by top university administrators and external political actors. Student active involvement in decision making is mainly confined to lower levels such as the school/faculty and departmental/programme. The authors call for a paradigm shift in the involvement of students in the governance of universities in ways that discourage the current culture of tokenism and political correctness that characterizes public and private universities in Kenya.

This book addresses the implications of this development in Kenya, with regard to the responsiveness of private higher education to issues of broadening access, equity and the traditional research function of universities.

This book presents a comprehensive institutional level analysis of a single public institution of higher education in the Republic of Kenya using the case study method of investigation. It is the first case study to use both qualitative and quantitative research methodology to illuminate the experiences of Kenyan public universities with internationalization post-independence. Focusing on Kenya’s oldest national public university—the University of Nairobi’s experimentation with internationalization, Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization is a first in the East African region. The book argues that attempts by institutions of higher education in Africa to engage in internationalization with the much more older and well established IHEs in the developed world has perpetuated the colonial legacy that has relegated these institutions to the position of the Other in the new international order. Several policy implications are offered on what it means to participate in internationalization from a marginal, peripheral position. The conventional assumption that political independence would bring to most African countries, and by extension their national public universities, a period of freedom from political, economic and cultural subjugation and exploitation by the more powerful world nations has proved elusive. This book is intended for a broad audience in the field of Comparative International Education. The mixed research methods used in this book will certainly appeal to instructors, students, and general readers interested in understanding the experiences of historically marginalized developing World institutions of higher education with internationalization.

This book gives a riveting account of the higher education advancements made in five East African countries, each presenting unique characteristics. While some of the counties enjoyed relative calm throughout their years of growth and development, others have endured a turbulent past marked by civil war, coups and other forms of unrest, including one of the most atrocious genocide events ever recorded in the history of mankind. It is a known fact that the past defines the present and describes the future. The book specifically tracks the historical development of teacher education, technical and vocational education and training, and university education in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The extensive research and up-to-date accounts provide a rich overview of tertiary education in the five countries, with candid reviews of the past, the current situation and perspectives on the future. The book is a refreshing addition to the books of history and education, and a must-read for students, professionals, and policy makers in the field of higher education, as well as scholars of history.

Expanding Tertiary education with quality, relevance and equity is one of the most decisive challenges for Kenya’s future, including the achievement of the ideals of the 2010 Constitution and, especially, its 2030 vision, which aims at transforming Kenya into a “newly industrializing, middle income, globally competitive and prosperous country†?. That is because tertiary education can contribute in a critical manner to successfully overcome several of the country’s challenges. This book provide analysis and policy recommendations to Government of Kenya, tertiary education leaders and the many stakeholders on managing the massive tertiary education expansion facing the country. This book, first, discusses the motivation for the analysis and its choice of three critical topics: quality and relevance; governance, and student financing. Secondly, it reviews findings on each area, and, third, it ends with a set of policy recommendations.

The Most Authentic Source Of Information On Higher Education In India The Handbook Of Universities, Deemed Universities, Colleges, Private Universities And Prominent Educational & Research Institutions Provides Much Needed Information On Degree And Diploma Awarding Universities And Institutions Of National Importance That Impart General, Technical And Professional Education In India. Although Another Directory Of Similar Nature Is Available In The Market, The Distinct Feature Of The Present Handbook, That Makes It One Of Its Kind, Is That It Also Includes Entries And Details Of The Private Universities Functioning Across The Country.In This Handbook, The Universities Have Been Listed In An Alphabetical Order. This Facilitates Easy Location Of Their Names. In Addition To The Brief History Of These Universities, The Present Handbook Provides The Names Of Their Vice-Chancellor, Professors And Readers As Well As Their Faculties And Departments. It Also Acquaints The Readers With The Various Courses Of Studies Offered By Each University.It Is Hoped That The Handbook In Its Present Form, Will Prove Immensely Helpful To The Aspiring Students In Choosing The Best Educational Institution For Their Career Enhancement. In Addition, It Will Also Prove Very Useful For The Publishers In Mailing Their Publicity Materials. Even The Suppliers Of Equipment And Services Required By These Educational Institutions Will Find It Highly Valuable.

Scholars, especially those interested in understanding how leadership has inhibited academic freedom and hindered effectiveness of institutions of higher learning have for long been engaged by the very important manner in which governance and leadership of higher education institutions in Africa is constituted and managed. The fact that there has been a dearth of work based on the experiences of those who have served as university leaders has created a major gap. Questions remain on how leaders of higher education institutions are identified, how they are prepared, the personal predispositions that individuals bring to the exercise of such positions and their personal experiences regarding what energizes or inhibits the performance of their work. Until recently, presidents in most African countries served as chancellors of public universities, identification of those who served as university leaders was largely a political process. But much has changed, with most countries establishing oversight bodies and the overall governance of higher education institutions divorced from the day-to-day political processes. Trails in Academic and Administrative Leadership in Kenya provides a personal account of the experiences in higher education leadership from an individual whose tenure in leadership straddled the two eras. In this book, Prof. Michieka provides an account of how his early education prepared him for roles in academic and institutional leadership in Kenya. The author shares his experiences on the trails he had to navigate as an academic, a vice-chancellor and a chairperson of university council at a time when universities in Kenya were transiting from extreme government administrative control to a greater degree of operational autonomy. Readers will find in this work thought-provoking insights on how leaders of higher education institutions in Kenya have had to balance between demands of the political system and the need to safeguard academic traditions in the everyday management of the institutions.

This book examines the concept of the democratization of governance in universities in Kenya with particular emphasis on students involvement in governance processes and decision making. Data were collected from members of the student community utilizing a structured self-administered questionnaire and from purposively selected key informants and focus group discussants drawn from Kenyatta University (representing the public sector) and the United States International University (representing the private sector). The guiding argument for the study was that shared governance, one of the principles of good governance, is critical in enabling the universities to deliver their visions and the missions effectively. The results revealed that while in principle, Kenyan universities have embraced democratic governance in which all stakeholders, including students, have a role to play, in practice they continue to violate the core principles of good governance, particularly shared governance. Specifically, students, who are major stakeholders in university education, are largely excluded from significant structures of governance thereby limiting their influence and participation. Although their representation is mainly provided via student self-governance organs (unions, associations and/or councils), their effectiveness is undermined considerably by the lack of trust and confidencec of the student body and the unending manipulation by top university administrators and external political actors. Student active involvement in decision making is mainly confined to lower levels such as the school/faculty and departmental/programme. The authors call for a paradigm shift in the involvement of students in the governance of universities in ways that discourage the current culture of tokenism and political correctness that characterizes public and private universities in Kenya.