Training gaps stand in the way of Kenya’s economic aspirations
A graduation ceremony in Kenya: Not many people are going for science-based disciplines. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Universities shun science based courses which are touted as key drivers of growth in industries, engineering and innovation.
Kenya’s Vision 2030, a package of economic and social policies designed to propel the country to middle-income status, lists industrialisation as one of the strategies of achieving its development dreams.
A look at the country’s training capacity however reveals shocking realities that make nonsense of such aspirations.
Less than 15 per cent of students enrolled in public and private universities last year study science, math and engineering putting at risk Kenya’s quest for industrialisation.
A combination of high tuition costs and market demand for courses in social sciences and humanities has pushed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Kenya to the back burner, a phenomenon that alarms experts.
According to a newly released report by the Commission for University Education (CUE) titled State of University Education in Kenya, the institutions of higher learning have shifted focus from STEM-based courses that are touted as key drivers of growth in industries, engineering and innovation.
As such almost 50 per cent of all students in public universities study arts and social science based courses. Most students are registered in business and administration at 22.3 per cent, education arts at 14.7 per cent and humanities and arts at 8.9 per cent.
The report says that although several government policies have identified the need to promote training in STEM, little effort has been made to ensure increased enrolment of students in these subjects at university level.
The total enrolment of students in 2015 was 539,749 compared to 440,840 in 2014.
Several studies show that for Kenya to achieve its ambitious economic blue print, Vision 2030, it must produce a sufficient quantity of scientists and engineers in the short term.
But CUE, in its report, says the 71 public and private universities in the country mainly concentrate on the arts, social sciences and humanities which take up 50 per cent of the student enrolment leaving a paltry 15 per cent for STEM courses.
“There is a need for caution to avoid the perpetuation of trends where university courses are developed largely on narrow short-term, market determined fields, such as business,” says the report.
It calls for a shift from what it terms the myopic lens to a more strategic programme development that ensures a healthy balance between a concern for revenue generation and the urgency of building excellent capacity in areas of health and welfare, science, technology, agriculture, engineering manufacturing and construction and aligning research agendas closer to national development priority areas and sustainable development goals.
Deliberate effort
The report says business administration is the most popular course taking up 22.3 per cent, education arts (14.7 per cent) and Humanities and Arts 8.9 per cent. It calls for more funding of STEM subjects and incentives to encourage students of both genders to enrol in STEM areas.
“There should be a deliberate effort by the government to provide incentives such as tax rebate on science equipment to support and encourage universities to mount STEM and other science oriented programmes,” says the report.
The dearth of trainees in STEM courses is also highlighted in graduation trends.
According to the report, the highest number of graduands across universities in 2015 was in Business Administration at 31 per cent and the lowest was in science-based clusters.
The CUE’s report laments that one of the reasons universities avoid STEM courses is because they require expensive equipment and specialised expertise.
Cheaper options
Many students also avoid STEM courses because they are charged exorbitant fees and take a longer period to complete at between five to seven years compared to arts based courses which take up between two-and-a-half and three- and-a-half years.
As a way forward CUE notes that the government must implement the Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) as a way of promoting university enrolment in STEM subjects.
The DUC model would be tailored to see STEM students receive higher bursaries than others, with universities offering STEM courses also receiving higher capitation to facilitate construction of laboratories, purchase of equipment and training students for longer periods.
According to the Public Universities Vice Chancellors’ Committee report, it requires Sh432,000 to train a pharmacist per year, Sh576,000 for a medical doctor while a dentist would cost Sh600,000.
But for arts based courses and humanities the costs vary from between Sh180,000 to as low as Sh144,000.
This makes it cheaper for guardians and parents to educate learners in the arts, humanities and social sciences courses as compared to the STEM courses, notes the report.
There is also a gender dimension to the disparity. Of all the students enrolled in public and private universities, 59 per cent are male and 41 per cent female.
CUE therefore says that there is an urgent need for deliberate effort to enhance enrolment of female students into STEM courses which are mainly male dominated. Lack of experts has also led to poorly trained graduates who hardly fit market demands.
