MARKETING
Are Our Universities On Their Deathbed ?
By Denis Mbau
In Kenya , getting a higher education is considered one of the sure paths to promising careers and a comfortable life above the appalling line of poverty . From parents to society , university education is exalted at extreme levels , yet the very door to prosperity has been the one that is leading graduates literally to nowhere !
Statistics show that over 50,000 students graduate from tertiary institutions every year to join an already ever-bulging unemployment population . It is estimated that Kenya has an unemployment rate of above 40 % for the youth .
As much as we may blame the slow economic growth for not transitioning these learned professionals into proficient workers , much of the fingers point towards the below-par education that is being offered in Kenya ’ s premier institutions .
About a decade ago , the term half-baked became infamous as employees complained of the incompetent lot that the universities were churning out at the end of their courses . They groused that countless graduates lacked employability skills , technical mastery and workrelated skills .
The gap between what they learnt and their application to the everchanging work environment did not satisfy the reality on the ground as far as career and business competency needs were concerned . Emphasis was placed on passing exams rather than imparting practical skills .
In addition , high corruption in our universities means that people can be able to buy their way to a certificate or with some , offer sexual favors for grades . When it comes to classes , many lecturers skip lessons or do not attend the whole duration of the semester . Moreover , lack of curriculum standardization means that students undertaking the same degree course in two different universities are taught different content yet they are being prepared for the same job market .
It is thus no wonder that across different sectors , more employers prefer highly experienced , often older individuals as the youth job hunt into oblivion .
For example , there was a recent highly publicized case in Nyeri where about 4,000 applicants flocked an interview at a hotel establishment that only required 600 applicants . Mind you , this same scenario ( or worse ) keeps repeating itself in many organizations when hiring .
“ Evolution of digital forums such as Google and YouTube to offer training at almost no cost means that almost all knowledge has been pushed online . This means that the repository of knowledge is no longer at the university libraries but in the palm of our hands “
Despite the challenges in our tertiary systems being highlighted continuously , the half-baked graduate situation has not changed today as universities still cling on to their brick and mortar teaching methods and coursework to produce workers for an already disrupted work life . This is evident because , in recent years , the Commission for University Education has been scrapping out some ‘ extinct ’ university courses because they only fit job markets of the past .
Due to this , many sceptics and employers across the globe have signaled the demise of university education . My thinking is that the biggest driver of this perceived extinction is the evolution of ways of acquiring knowledge today . To put this into perspective , we have to look at what made the university lecture halls wield their significant leverage in the first place .
Universities are repositories of knowledge . They were a fountain where the hungry for knowledge came in to have their fill , then use this knowledge to impart and impact their lives and those of others . Above all , the aspect of accreditation which is now the thread that holds universities ’ lifeline gave them much importance since certificates are a requirement in almost all job applications .
Due to the advancement of technology , disruption in our way of acquiring knowledge has changed the education sector . The evolution of digital forums such as Google and YouTube to offer training and education at almost no cost means that almost all knowledge has been pushed online . This means that the repository of knowledge is no
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