Universities Set To Drop Unattractive Courses in an African Country

Universities in an African Country are set to drop unattractive courses in the schools as the government pushes for new reforms.

Universities in Kenya are set to drop unattractive courses in the schools as government push for new reforms.

Rotich indicates a strong possibility that the government aims to close some higher learning institutions.

Public universities might lay off thousands of staff as President William Ruto and Vice Chancellors have agreed to eliminate programs that lack student interest.

The Standard reports that a meeting at State House in Nairobi on Tuesday resolved to drop certain academic programs and transfer others to universities that specialize in those fields.

This reorganization could lead to job cuts as Ruto implements his reform plan to downsize universities.

The Ministry of Education wants universities to renew course approvals every six years, similar to a 2018 proposal by the late Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha to merge universities and eliminate unresponsive courses.

In the new reform agenda, universities and the State Department of Higher Education are tasked with identifying under-enrolled courses and consolidating them, leading to greater specialization.

Data from the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service shows that over 100 courses attracted fewer than 10 students in the 2023 university placements, suggesting these programs might be cut.

Courses at risk include Food Security, Horticulture, Soil Science, Forestry, Dryland Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Geophysics and Mineralogy, Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology, and Environmental Chemistry. Programs that only attracted one student nationwide include Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Bachelor of Science in Networks and Communication Systems, Bachelor of Industrial Technology, Water Resource and Environmental Management, Environmental Resource Management, Library and Knowledge Management, and Bachelor of Arts in Chaplaincy.

The State House meeting also discussed changes to the student funding model. The current Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) model pays up to 80% of student fees, with students covering the remaining 20%. However, the government has only been providing 42% of the DUC, resulting in a 38% shortfall for universities.

President Ruto pledged to increase the government’s contribution to 50% and directed Vice Chancellors to develop incentives to attract students to courses that will drive Kenya’s progress.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, STANDARD