University education is considered the axle for propelling economic growth and uplifting the developing countries.
But the reality on the ground paints a negative picture, this is according to World Bank report 2017.
The report further reveals that the enrollment rates for higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa are by far the lowest in the world at 6 per cent. The report also suggests that Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia both have the highest number of universities standing at 150,136 and 134 respectively.
Uganda tops the ladder in the East Africa region with 46 universities followed by Kenya at 39 universities while Tanzania has 33 universities.
Despite this high number of universities which should translate into economic growth based on the number of graduates churned, experts argue that 90 per cent of the graduates does not meet the job market skills.
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Most companies within the East African region have to retrain the graduates on the job which makes them incur an extra cost.
Alex Awiti, Vice Provost and Interim Dean, Graduate School of Media and Communication, Aga Khan University believes that Kenya needs to revalue its university education to propel its economy through skills.
“The contradiction of unemployed graduates and a lack of skilled workforce is a problem that Kenya is facing as a result of poor training at the university level and that’s why as a country we continue to produce half-baked graduates who have no industry skills that can scale up our productivity level,” he poses.
“Today most our students are not enrolling in areas like engineering and science areas face shortages of human resources and capacity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well as agriculture and health, these are areas where we should focus on to ensure that we have well competent graduates, “adds Awiti.
He added that the problem can be addressed from the ECDE level there is well-structured education that comprises of technical skills, talent and academics. He says that universities should fully invest in human resource to increase both the quantity and the quality of graduates.
“To improve the link with employers and the graduates there is need to understand the industry need and I believe this can only be done by fostering strong local and international collaboration to raise quality,” he says.
The World Bank Group report reveals that poor governance and leadership is also a key challenge affecting most universities and higher learning institutions in Kenya and Africa at large.
“Our university leadership is political, it depends on who is on the seat of power that calls the shots. Until we start having voice leadership where we ensure that those taking up the leadership of our institutions are goal-oriented and are ready to work with the rest of team to scale up these institutes then we shall continue to lag. The other key aspect is the need to embrace the adaptive style of leadership where we create a leadership system that adapts to change to grow the institutions,” comments Awiti.
Awiti is also calling upon the government to invest heavily in research and innovation centres within the universities.
“Most departments do not have more than 1 or 2 senior professors; many close to the retirement age. This prevents departments and universities from being able to provide relevant higher education training and establishing vibrant research environments. Moreover, low salaries of faculty, lack of research funding and equipment, as well as limited autonomy provide disincentives for professors to stay in universities".
"Academic disruptions due to strikes by staff and/or students arising from many factors including poor administrative leadership and lack of resources are other challenges confronting African higher education institutions. I think the government should also start demanding for innovations and research that addresses the societal needs of these institutions since they are funded by the exchequer. This should be done by creating innovation hubs that will be tailored made towards industry needs, “adds Awiti.
