BY STANDARD REPORTER
Commission for University Education Chief
Executive Officer David Some. (Photo: Tabitha Otwori/Standard)
Universities will be blocked
from admitting students for one year if they fail to explain how they will
address the quality mess in their operations within 30 days. Commission for
University Education (CUE) Chief Executive Officer David Some said each
university had been given a status report detailing quality standards breaches.
“All universities have been given their individual reports and are required to respond
with corrections of factual errors and to provide, to the commission, a road
map on corrective measures within 30 days,” Prof Some said Friday. This follows
damning findings of a CUE quality audit inspection report released on Thursday
by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. The shocking report revealed
several breaches, including flaws in meeting minimum admissions requirements,
missing marks, abuse of executive masters degrees and academic theft. Also
revealed were major abuses on credit accumulation and transfers, skewed
progression records, unmerited award of honorary degrees and sub standard
thesis or research projects. The Standard on Saturday has learnt that the
findings of the Exit Report were so damning that the ministry censored the main
report, only making available a deeply edited and summarised document. The
audit covered the period after the enactment of the Universities Act (2012) and
2016. A cursory analysis of graduated students between 2010 and 2014 shows
about 120,000 graduated. And if the universities are accused for having
tolerated serious academic quality breaches, questions are raised as to whether
the degrees acquired within the said period met the strict standards set by
CUE. ALSO READ: Matiang’i’s new broom should sweep all corners This implies
that the credibility of up to 120,000 degrees issued during this period is in
doubt. It’s important to point out that not all students engaged in malpractice
or did not merit to be admitted, however the quality of education hinges on the
integrity of academic and governance structures. If one is breached, even by a
handful of students, the entire cohort is affected. That’s the fundamental
challenge of integrity and credibility of students, courses and certificates
facing the universities today. Speaking Friday, CUE chairperson Chacha
Nyaigotti-Chacha and Prof Some announced that a joint quality assurance working
group had been set up to monitor the progress of the implementation of the
recommendations of the audit report. The team comprises vice-chancellors and
chancellors, raising the question as to whether the very people indicted for
overseeing mediocrity can preside over higher education reforms. The members
are Prof Raphael Munavu, Dr Catherine Kimura, Dr Florence Nyamu, Prof Ratemo
Michieka, Prof David Serem, Dr Ruth Nduati, Prof Peter Mbithi, Prof Mabel
Imbuga, Prof Philip Maiyo, Prof Leah Marangu and Prof Some. They said
institutions that will not comply with the set corrective timelines will be
penalised. “The Charters or Letters of Interim Authorities (LIA) will be
suspended for one year forthwith,” said Prof Some. This means during the
period, no university will admit students or undertake any of the functions
listed under their charters. He said the universities have been told they must
come up with a status report on how they will address each of the issues raised
against them complete with timelines. Prof Some Friday said the ‘roadmap
reports’ must be approved by CUE and will be used by the joint committee to
assist on evaluation. “If we feel that something is not adding up on those
reports, we shall take action,” said Some. Factual matters Sources who attended
the closed-door meeting during the launch of the report said each university
was asked to respond to ‘factual matters contained in their reports’ within a
week. “They were also given one month to respond to areas of improvement,” said
the senior university management official who attended the meeting. On
Thursday, the commission released a damning report with 11 quality and
standards breaches that it said revealed a number of pertinent issues. The
audit disclosed that in some universities, there were missing marks, delayed
completion rates, and unaccountability for students at all levels. The audit
also revealed that the quality of school-based programmes was wanting. ALSO
READ: Some university courses are not approved, says report Meanwhile, the
government has tightened university admission rules. Measures listed in the CUE
report has sealed major loopholes exploited by students to access university
admissions. The move has also closed gaps used by institutions to shore up
student numbers. Ordinary diploma papers, bridging courses and foreign
qualifications will no longer be guarantee for university admissions in Kenya.
And those who score lower grades and seek to pursue diploma programmes as gate
pass to university admissions have also been locked out. The audit revealed
that the greatest admissions breach has been listing candidates who have not
met the minimum entry grade of C+. For instance, a student who sat KCSE in 2010
with a D+ graduated with a bachelor’s degree in less than two years. The report
further reveals that some universities were also reported to admit students
with credits and distinctions in diploma courses into degree programmes with
entry points of second, third or even fourth academic years. Only Kenya
National Examination Council (KNEC) diploma certificates will be recognised for
admissions to university. P1 certificates Pre-university courses, bridging
courses and P1 certificates will no longer be used to gain admissions. This
means teachers who graduated with P1 certificates will not gain admissions to
universities anymore. “Universities should also desist from using entry
examinations to compensate for shortfalls in minimum entry requirements into
university academic program,” reads the report. Those with Executive Masters
Degrees will not be allowed to register for PhD programmes while those who have
already completed doctorate programmes will have their qualifications recalled
and barred from teaching in universities. In addition to these, persons who
have not pursued bachelor’s degrees will not be allowed to enroll for master’s
degrees. ALSO READ: Cash crunch threatens to halt public universities
“Universities should take necessary steps to rectify the situation for the
affected students which will include such actions but not limited to cancelling
such admissions or recalling such awards,” reads the report. And once students
have been admitted to the various programmes, CUE says, they must complete the
set study period. “Data provided by universities has shown that on average 80
per cent of slightly more new entrants into undergraduate degree programmes
complete their studies within the prescribed time frame. About 20 per cent fail
or drop out of their courses for varied reasons. Similarly, less that 50 per
cent complete masters degree programmes and less than 20 per cent complete
their PhD studies, often not on time,” reads the report. Another sealed
loophole that universities and students exploited for admission is credit
accumulation and transfers. And on examinations, the government now says all
examination results for students must be electronically captured to track the
grades real time. Commission for University Education Kenyan universities Fred
Matiang’i
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