Kenya can't afford to close universities, Alfred Mutua says

Education minister George Magoha's plan to merge and scrap some universities is " backward", Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua has said.

Dr Mutua, leader of Maendeleo Chap Chap party, noted that Kenya needs more universities as the population keeps growing. He added that 80 percent of the people are less than 40 years old.

Prof Magoha on Thursday gave universities two weeks to prepare a list of institutions to be merged and those to be shut down.

He asked vice-chancellors and finance officers of the 31 chartered public universities and seven colleges in the country do the groundwork for the drastic measures.

The reforms have been necessitated by the high cost of running the institutions as the government reduces capitation due to budgetary constraints. But top university managers and lecturers risk losing their jobs.

BASIC RIGHT

The governor said that should the plan be carried out, the poor will have a more difficult time accessing higher education.

The society, he said, will be more unequal, "with a few billionaires and millions of the wretched of the earth".

“I appreciate the challenges in higher education funding and quality standards, but closing down universities in counties, which we fought hard to establish, is not acceptable to leaders and wananchi," Governor Mutua said on Saturday.

“It is a known fact the world over that provision of education is the surest way to create equity in society, by bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Therefore, I do not support the new recommendation of merging universities and shutting down some."

POLICY

The county chief further warned that the plan will go against a deliberate policy to open more universities.

He said the policy adopted in 2004 saw institutions of higher learning set up in many parts of the country, enabling youths to acquire education, skills and employment.

Dr Mutua also pointed out that education is a basic right and that it is only through studying that children from extremely poor backgrounds can have a chance to become "top notch professionals and industry captains, turning around the fortunes of their families and communities".

HIGH DEMAND

Dr Mutua went on to explain that the number of university slots does not match the demand so students who complete high school are left out.

He added that Kenya's history is one in which only a few youths accessed university education due to the existence of a few institutions and limited facilities, therefore it is of great concern for anyone to suggest collapsing universities instead of thinking of ways to open more.

“When Kenya had a few universities, youths whose parents were able, and those who found alternative opportunities. sought university education abroad," he said during the 33rd ceremony at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Juja, Kiambu County.

"Many deserving youths were left out, a situation which perpetuated a cycle of poverty and slow economic growth. No patriotic Kenyan should ever think of taking us back to this era."

INNOVATION

The governor added that Kenya needs to be as innovative as countries such as Australia and South Africa by adopting new innovative ways to offer education and support its systems.

He gave the example of open learning to attract foreign students, raise income, bridge the funding gap and plough profits back into the economy.

The governor also spoke of partnerships between research institutions and businesses for more funding.