Phasing out part-time lectures from our universities is not only laughable but also ill advised!

It’s now official! The Kenyan Government has announced its intention to phase out all part-time/adjunct lecturers in our varsities by 2018! This idea, to begin with, is not only laughable but also ill advised! My heart shudders when higher education regulatory body - Commission for University Education (CUE) announces their bid to lock out all part-time lecturers from teaching by 2018! Their demand is not only reckless and wandering but also political in nature! As a matter of fact, CUE lacks moral authority to implement such a reckless and irresponsible demand - locking part-time lecturers from teaching in our Universities by 2018 is ridiculous. To begin with, CUE as a regulatory body is currently operating with over 60% of its staffs on part-time basis (referred to as consultants). Worst still, with the introduction of parallel degree programs in our public varsities, over 70% of lecturers are also on part-time basis and that’s why am saying, CUE’s demand is laughable! If CUE and public varsities cannot lead by examples on the matter at hand, then the government lacks moral authority to implement CUE’s demand.

To make the matter worse, CUE’S proposal to encourage intra-mobility of lecturers from one University is not only vague but also impractical. How can universities share full-time lecturers in the wake of such an acute shortage of doctorate holders in Kenya? While it’s true that many part-timers are giving substandard services to students, it is preposterous for CUE to begin a battle that defeats logic of their existence. Their capricious quick fix to matters quality education must come to an end! With over 68 Universities in Kenya and 3 million enrolled university students, the role played by part-time lecturers cannot be overemphasized. CUE should refrain from their unprofessional and journalist approach to quality education and instead, focus on policies formulating that will accommodate the looming shortage of lecturers in Kenya.

Dr. Njenga Solomon Ph.D
Dean – School of Governance, Peace and Security
Africa Nazarene University