The Commission for University Education [CUE], has started instituting quality assurance measures, that seeks to strengthen the quality of education offered in local universities. The Commission announced that the measures will address the underlying quality gaps in both the undergraduate and graduate studies, and ensure learners are well equipped with requisite skills for future assignments. According to the Commission Chair, Prof. Chacha Nyaigotti Chacha, universities need to have effective internal mechanisms in place, to ensure that they deliver on quality education. Prof. Chacha implored on the universities to be innovative and seek for alternative sources of income, including commercialized research, donor funding, to ensure adequate infrastructure and skilled workforce in their respective institutions. ‘Diversification of income streams in our universities, will help them maneuver the financial crisis currently facing the education sector,’ said Chacha. Prof Chacha welcomed the move to review degree programs offered by universities, to ensure they offer courses that are in line with job market demands, to enhance graduate employability. He called upon universities, to put in place information management systems that will enhance effective collection storage and retrieval of students learning history and experiences. Prof. Chacha said the move will help eradicate the missing marks debacle that have faced section of students, derailing their graduation for years. Speaking during the opening of the quality assurance workshop for quality assurance directors in Naivasha, Prof Chacha affirmed the Commission’s commitment to strengthen its enforcement measures towards ensuring quality, relevant and sustainable university education. ‘The Commission recognizes the place of quality assurance, in ensuring that our universities provide the highest standard of education to our students’, he said. Official data from the Commission indicate that there are over 70 accredited public and private universities in the country and about five foreign ones, with authority to partner with local institutions to offer degree programs. The Commission Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Mike Kuria, said lack of enough funding has affected the quality of education in local institutions and petition the government to boost its allocations. Kuria said universities catch up with global trends and emerging issues and technological advancements such application of Artificial Intelligence [AI], Internet of Things [IOT], Chat GPT in the learning environment. These applications, Kuria said, will ensure universities address the surge in cases of academic fraud, plagiarism and fabricated references, vices which have tainted the quality of education and graduates locally. Prof. Kuria said universities have also started preparations for the uptake of students under the new education curriculum, where the first cohort of learners is expected to join universities in 2029.
Source: Kenya News Agency