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Kenya is set to have 13 more public universities, President Kibaki announced on Friday. This will increase the number of public universities to 20, resulting in a huge rise in the number of students being admitted for degree courses.

Speaking at the Masinde Muliro University’s graduation ceremony, President Kibaki said: “So far, the government has upgraded 13 institutions into university colleges. It is planned that these will become full national public universities by 2012. More universities are being established to ensure that an estimated 450,000 students access university education by 2015.”

The ceremony saw 715 students being awarded certificates, diplomas and Masters degrees. Renowned athlete Tegla Lorupe was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in recognition of her efforts to bring peace to warring communities through sports.

The President praised Ms Lorupe and urged her to continue encouraging youths to live more productive lives.

Urban slums

President Kibaki warned, however, that though expansion was good for the thousands who fail to get varsity places, quality should never be compromised. “We must appreciate that improved access to universities can only bear results if the quality of education is not compromised. It is the duty of all those running our public and private universities to ensure quality education,” he said.

He said more admissions alone was not enough as most of those qualifying still needed to raise fees. “Poverty has had an enormous impact on tertiary education. The situation is more acute among communities in the arid and semi-arid districts, urban slums and rural areas where a significant number cannot afford the cost of tertiary education,” he said.
Reacting to a plea by Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi on the ailing Pan African Paper Mills at Webuye, the President said the firm’s revival is high on the government’s agenda. Speaking during the occasion, Higher Education minister Sally Kosgey said funding for higher education was a challenge for the government.

She said despite asking for more funding this financial year, Treasury had allocated the same amount as in the previous year. She said though the country could solve its energy crisis by adopting nuclear technology, there was no manpower in the sector. “Although we have started negotiations on nuclear energy, we do not have a single PHD holder in nuclear science,” she said.

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That will be a great blue print for starters, Kenyans spend alot of money in fees to send students overseas if they could only stem that then alot of that money can be spent internally to boost the economy.

Daystar University has started its first PhD programme.The university received approval from the Commission for Higher Education to offer a PhD in Communication.

"It’s a step in the right direction and contributes towards excellence in communication," said Information and Communication PS Bitange Ndemo at the launch.

The university has expanded rapidly over the years, from offering diploma, undergraduate and masters courses to a doctoral programme.

The launch of the programme is an indication of the growing demand for higher education.

"Daystar has long been associated with communication and this programme cements is good reputation in the sector," said Vice-Chancellor, Godfrey Nguru.

The course aims to promote research in media studies, and development, health corporate and communication.

Dr Bitange urged the university to be an example to other institutions of higher education in the production of skilled and knowledgeable personnel to address the challenges in the communication sector.

Among the challenges are creation of a relevant media and optimal use of new media technologies.

The programme will be offered at the Nairobi Campus.

That will be a great blue print for starters, Kenyans spend alot of money in fees to send students overseas if they could only stem that then alot of that money can be spent internally to boost the economy.

^^true in terms of education we are heading somewhere:) this one is another new one:cheers:
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/images/tuesday/educap241109_00.jpg
Inoorero University Vice-Chancellor Henry Thairu (left) presents a prize to the best student in Kenya School of Professional Studies, Diploma in Management Ms Ann Nyaira Maina during the University’s first graduation ceremony.

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News

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Education Minister Sam Ongeri (seated) launches the first batch of e-books at the Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/?#) Literature Bureau offices in Nairobi as Managing Director Eve Obara (left), Education PS Karega Mutahi and staff watch on Wednesday. [PHOTO: SAIDI HAMISI/STANDARD]

Post -Moved to College|University Photo Gallery

By Philip Mwakio
Kenya’shttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=1144030741&cid=14&#) premier hospitality training institution, Kenya Utalii College (KUC), has finally landed at the Coast. KUC has opened its first satellite campus in Mombasa, which is set to admit its first batch of students in January next year.
According to KUC Senior Public Relations Officer, Osir Otteng, 12 courses have been advertised.
"We are starting with certificate courses at both full and part time. As we progress, we will introduce diploma courses," Otteng said as he conducted the media on a tour of the new facility in rented premises on Southern House, on Moi Avenue.
He said the move is necessitated by the hunger for quality training in hospitality industry.
Quality education
Otteng revealed that other campuses would be set up in Eastern, Rift Valley, Central, Western and Nyanza provinces.
Utalii College is famed in the region and beyond for its quality of training in the services industry.
Analysts, however, reckon that only about 30 per cent of the 500,000 people working in the hospitality industry are formally trained.
In response, Otteng said regular refresher courses for hoteliers and restaurant workers, which KUC has been conducting, would continue to be offered.
He reiterated that the dream to establish a fully-fledged college at the Coast was still on.
Multi-purpose college
A total of Sh800 million has been released towards starting work on a 60-acre beach frontage parcel in Vipingo area, North Coast in Kilifi District where a second multi-purpose college equipped hotel facility will be set up.
The total cost of putting up the proposed college is estimated at Sh2 billion.
The Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (Kahc) Coast branch has welcomed the decision by KUC to set up a campus in Mombasa.
"This is a move in the right direction. However, the Government should pump in more funds for the larger Coast Utalii College," Titus Kangangi, Kahc branch chairman said.

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^^medical courses offered by maseno, baraton, kisii uni, jkuat, catholic and kenyatta universities:cheers:

Lack of adequate learning materials are among the factors that are blamed for the widening performance gap between public and private schools.
But students in public schools may soon access boundless information on various subjects through digital learning.
"Developments in broadcasting will enable learners to receive materials from supporting institutions like the Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/education/InsidePage.php?id=2000002324&cid=316&story=Digital%20TV%20to%20make%20learning%20more%20interactive#) Institute of Education to supplement classwork," says KBC Technical Services Manager Gichina Kanyi.
"The national broadcaster’s switch from analogue to digital will enable it to accommodate and transmit a higher capacity of learning content from KIE studio to schools and universities," he says. He says students will receive the learning contents in either text or video form via their television sets.
KIE has upgraded its broadcast studio and linked it to the KBC’s data centre via the fibre optic cable. Assistant Director in charge of media John Kamotho says the institute is piloting programmes, which will be scaled up to cover the whole country by 2012, in Nairobi.
Our channel
"We have designed a complete program which is ready for transmission, through our channel. We will first target primary, secondary and teachers training colleges then the public," he says.
A panel of experts from will generate the content. "Unlike computers many household can afford television sets and enjoy the programmes. Poor schools could use the Constituency Development Funds to secure the necessary equipment including power," Kamotho says.
The interactive two-way service gives audiences greater choice and control over their viewing experience.
"Services such as video-on-demand, interactive programme guides and e-mail are just some examples of the next generation of digital programming through cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcast television," Kamotho says.
Unlike e-learning, digital programmes do not to include Internet costs. KBC allocates KIE about five to eight hours airtime to transmit learning content in English.


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http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/902558/highRes/153505/-/maxw/600/-/esnc7h/-/PIX5.jpg Moi University graduands celebrate during the institution’s 24th graduation ceremony last year. Colleges are placing huge bets on publicity to cash in on Kenyans growing thirst for higher education. Photo/FILE
By MWAURA KIMANI (email the author (javascript:void(0);))
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Posted Tuesday, April 20 2010 at 00:00

Universities are increasingly moving on the first lane in the advertising scene, doubling their publicity spend last year to cash in on the growing number of Kenyans seeking college education.

But more Kenyans are being drawn to universities by publicity, other than content, compelling universities to up their advertising budgets—and making it one of the most competitive marketing wars being fought in Kenya, a new survey by consumer market research firm Synovate indicates.

Study figures show that in 2009, universities ad spend rose 79 per cent to Sh301 million, up from Sh168 million in 2008, signalling that colleges are placing huge bets on publicity to push up their revenues as they rise to meet demand for higher education.

But Synovate said data used in the survey was based on gross rate card costs and does not include discounts or concessions that media houses offered their clients.

So far, the universities have spent Sh131 million for the first quarter of 2010, a signal they could hit the Sh500 million mark by the end of the year.

Kenyatta University (KU), Moi, University of Nairobi (UoN) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) topped the advertising spend charts, splashing Sh46 million, Sh41 million, Sh18 million and 11 million respectively in 2009.

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Synovate says that in 2009, ad spend rose by 54 per cent to Sh31.4 billion, up from Sh20.4 billion in 2008 as universities angled to have their presence felt both locally and internationally.
The firm found that stiff competition for students in a market where demand is soaring, education programmes becoming more diversified and the number of institutions increasing, was forcing companies to increase spending on advertising by wide margins.

“The higher education sub-sector is becoming highly competitive and universities are willing to spend a fortune to grow their numbers, ” said Mr George Waititu, the managing director at Synovate, adding that the trend was opening up new revenue streams for advertising and publicity handling firms.

“Private universities have realised they have to adopt activities long associated with private businesses such as advertising, ” said Mr Waititu.

This is coming at a time when the advertising industry is smarting from depressed business after most companies cut their advertising budgets last year to manage costs in the wake of weakening consumer demand.

Demand for higher education and competition among universities is piling pressure on the institutions to expand and forcing them to re-think their publicity strategies.

“All in the higher education sector has had to re-engineer their business model with the realisation that the market is becoming crowded and students looking for the best education opportunities, ” said Prof Henry Thairu, the Vice Chancellor at Inoorero University (IU).

The battle for students seeking additional qualifications such as MBA and others rushing for their first degrees has intensified over the past two years, leading to a rise in the number of institutions offering such courses.

So far, there are at least 67 universities operating in Kenya—both local and foreign—up from around 30 five years ago.
Experts say the high spend on advertising is being fuelled by the desire by universities to sell their parallel degree programmes (Module 2)—the single most tool for financial stability of universities which has enabled public institutions supplement funds received from the Exchequer to meet the surging education demand.

“In this market, advertising is emerging a crucial competition tool compared to several years ago when there were only a few providers, ”said Prof Thairu.

The rising advertising budgets come at a time when educationists and employers are increasingly questioning the quality of degrees from local universities even as demand grows for top-notch skills to drive Kenya’s modernising economy.

Educationists reckon the measure of success in Kenya’s higher education is bound to be judged by the ability of the institutions to absorb all qualified candidates, irrespective of whether or not they meet the country’s human capital demand.

This will be taken as the return of investment from the billions of shillings being pumped into the institutions by both the Government, parents, and guardians annually.

“As universities seek to establish their presence, what is becoming crucial is the need to ensure quality is maintained, ” said Mr Benjamin Cheboi, the chief executive officer at the Higher Education Loans Board.

“Without checks, the rush for students could end up compromising the quality of learning, ” he said.

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^^the number of universities are increasing daily :) i only know few of them, if the quality control measures are emphasized we can save billions we spend on foreign countries to gain education :cheers:

The Kenya Education Network Trust (KENET) has revealed an ambitious technological plan to interconnect more than 70 educational institutions in the East African country.
The Trust revealed in a press release that it would soon introduce a network operation centre and software to ensure the success of the initiative. "Connectivity has become very critical for institutions as they adopt online processing systems. The data centre will provide a centralized location where institutions can have their off-site backups and redundant systems situated", said the organization in a statement.
The initiative is bankrolled by the Kenyan government through funds it received in 2007 received financing from the World Bank for the Kenya Transparency and Communications Infrastructure Project (KTCIP). Kenya Education Network Trust (KENET) is a National Research and Education Network that promotes the use of ICT in Teaching, Learning and Research in Higher Education Institutions in Kenya.


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