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from boarding and catering charges , endowments and university support enterprises and investments . This money is also spent at source .
7 . HOW WOULD YOU ADDRESS THE ISSUE ON FUNDING GAPS IN UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA ?
Previously , public universities used to rely heavily on module II programs for their income , especially for recurrent expenditure . But when the enrolment numbers plummeted reducing the numbers to bare minimum , universities were unable to sustain their operations as before . There are several ways to remedy his situation and address recruitment gaps . Some of these solutions include reducing costs , effective use of facilities and staff , and of course increasing efficiency .
8 . AS A FOLLOW UP , WHAT FUNDING STRATEGIES WOULD YOU SUGGEST FOR UNIVERSITIES TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY ?
Number one is to reduce cost . Take the case right now in public universities , non-academic staff make up 71 % of the staff , ideally this ratio should be the other way round , 70 % academic staff vs 30 % non-academic this will enable the universities deliver their core mandate of teaching and research . The other thing is to have specialized universities , basically centers of excellence . As we speak , most universities are competing for the same students because they are offering similar courses . Previously there was a clear niche among universities . Say for example , if someone wanted to study telecommunications or science , they went to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology ( JKUAT ). For agriculture one would most likely enroll at Egerton University , while those interested in a degree in Communications went to Daystar University . This is what we need to nurture so we can create globally competitive universities .
Other funding strategies include commercializing research . Look at the example of Astra Zeneca ; it is an
Oxford university product , which is providing additional revenue to the university . We need our universities to scale up and partner with industry for such innovations . There is a lot of research that is done in Kenya , but there ’ s no route to market insight . Of course the challenge here is the lack of structured engagement between industry and universities . Oftentimes , universities undertake research without consulting industry . It is important to create more synergy , where universities collaborate with companies to understand the challenges businesses are facing thereafter they can embark on research and present solutions . Collaboration between Universities Fund , Kenya National Innovation Agency ( KENIA ) and Kenya Private Sector Alliance ( KEPSA ), can support innovation and research in this country because this kind of effort is what is needed to get universities understanding what industry needs in terms of research and development for new products or to scale up .
Internally universities should consider building their capacity , especially on financial management so that we have managers who are business oriented and able to keep these institutions afloat . I also propose that we have a contingency fund for universities . This fund can assist universities during difficult times . Consultancies are also a viable idea , same way we have buy Kenya build Kenya , we need to ring fence consultancies across government institutions for example Human resources consultancies .
Tapping into alumni associations can also help universities improve their financial status . Look at ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) in America for instance , the amount of funds raised by alumni over the years has supported it and assisted it grow . Most of our universities are now about 50 years old ; this is now a good time for universities to reach out to their alumni , so as to create a community to support the universities and students .
Universities should also take advantage of public private partnerships ( PPP ). As Universities Fund we are already positioning ourselves to facilitate that synergy between the public , private sector and universities .
Lastly I would like to talk about collaboration with County governments . Universities in the counties actually support most county economies . Universities even sustain some towns economically , so much so that it was evident when the COVID-19 pandemic struck . After the closure of all education institutions , some towns came almost to a complete stand still . It would be prudent to have counties also support universities . My proposal is that county governments need to support universities for example easing some requirements for infrastructure development by lowering levies . This will allow universities afford to acquire more and even enable them build houses for staff and students .
9 . WHAT OTHER WAYS WILL THE UNIVERSITIES FUND SUPPORT UNIVERSITIES ?
UF will not only provide institutional support but will also provide special targeted grants for capacity building , innovation and research . The DUC model is undergoing enhancement to address some of the financing challenges . As the country works towards improving social economic status , UF will lobby for the allocation of a percentage of the budget to promote national priority areas for universities that align with these priorities . Another area we are keenly looking at is the 100 % transition directive by the government , which means that all children have a right to education ; these include those with special needs . UF therefore proposes that the Government set aside 5 % of the development budget to support special needs . Masters and Doctorate scholarships are also an area of interest because of the role they play in developing teacher and research capacity in universities . For this one the UF is considering
EdSource Quarterly | Oct-Dec l 2021