Local universities as good as those abroad

Nairobi; Kenya: A key consideration for thousands of students intent on building their careers is the choice of training institution. Depending on their financial status and career needs, some choose to go to colleges abroad while others enroll in locally.

Most developing nations, Kenya included, have gained a lot in terms of education and capacity development courtesy of overseas education. Government statistics continue to show increasing expenditure by parents on foreign institutions. Are foreign universities better than local ones?

Vincent Nzamba, 21, is soon joining a top university in London, England, for a degree in information systems. Nzamba’s sister is a student in Australia. He believes studying in England will give him an edge in the job market unlike his high school friends who have decided to join local universities.

He said, “I want to have training that can turn me into a globally competitive person. Courses in local universities may not capture my aspirations.”

Isabella Manyuru from Moi University, however, roots for local training.

“It was fashionable to attend foreign colleges some years after independence but we have witnessed a commendable growth of African education centres. We also have thousands of African teachers driving our universities and colleges. Despite a few challenges, our universities offer the best. We now have the same courses as those offered in USA, France, England and other developed nations,” she says.
Dr Raphael Ng’eno, a Kenyan teaching at a university in the US, says students should study in Kenya.

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“Developing nations such as Kenya have made considerable investments in education. This is through intervention policies, boosting of entry numbers, funding and importantly, creativity in courses and content. For example, Kenyan universities, both public and private, are well rated in international rankings. The fact that Kenyan scholars continue to receive global awards only means that we are doing it right through our education,” he says.

Another vote of confidence, according to Dr Ng’eno is the fact that Kenyan colleges are now attracting international students and teachers.

“This can be taken to be a reversed role scenario given that we depended on foreign education to lay our national foundation. We are basically doing well,” he says, adding that by choosing local education, developing countries can curb cases of brain drain, which have held them back.

In terms of international ranking, Kenyan universities have continued to dominate in the region. A recent survey by research body CPS in collaboration with Pan African Education Trust, showed that Kenyan universities outshined their East African peers on the strength of massive investments and uptake of information, communication and technology. Kenya is currently planning a national university ranking system. This is aimed at boosting quality of training and guiding institutions to reach international levels of competition. Already, some universities have begun offering course content and classes using digital platforms. Our regional peers are yet to take this technological step.