19th ENGINEERS INTERNTIONAL CONFERENCE
The Role of Engineering Practitioners in the Implementation of the Constitution
“Tertiary Education in Kenya What the future holds for us”
By
Prof. D. Kimutai Some
Chair, TAHEST
Thursday 10th May, 2012
at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
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PRESENTATION TO ENGINEERS
Taskforce on Alignment of the Higher
Education, Science and Technology Sector
(TAHEST) with the Constitution of Kenya,
2010
University Education(UE), Science, Technology &
Innovations (ST&I) and Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (TVET)
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TAHEST MEMBERS
1. David Some (Prof.), Chair
2. Timothy M. Waema (Prof.)
3. Edward Mungai (Dr.)
4. Eric M. Aligula (Dr.)
5. Harry Kaane (Prof.)
6. Charles O. Nyangute
7. Lucy W. Irungu (Prof.)
8. Kevit Desai (Dr.)
9. Meloli Kashorda (Prof.)
10. Henry Thairu (Prof.)
11. Francis Aduol (Prof.)
12. Muga K’ Olale (Dr.)
13. Alice J. Yano
14. Madara Ogot (Prof.)
15. Mary Muthoka
16. Stella Kirui (Dr.)
17. Nasteha Omar Hajji
18. Margaret J. Hutchinson
19. Elizabeth Nganga
20. Vane Akama
JOINT SECRETARIES
1. Edith Nanini Torome
2. Michael Mwangi Kahiti
3. Josephine Waceke Muritu
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TFES
Taskforces on Alignment of
the Education Sector (TFES)
with the Constitution of
Kenya, 2010
(Prof. D. Odhiambo)
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EDUCATION CONTINUUM
EDUCATION = BASIC + TETIARY
BASIC
= ECDE + PE + SE
TETIARY
= FURTHER + HIGHER + CONTINUING
FURTHER
= MIDDLE LEVEL COLLEGES
HIGHER
= UNIVERSITIES (UG + PG)
CONTINUING = POST FORMAL EDUCATION
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CONSTITUTION OF KENYA, 2010
Article 53 (b): “Every child has a right to free
and compulsory Basic Education”
4th Schedule Part 1: National Government
#16:
Universities,
Tertiary
educational
institutions and other Inst. Of research and
higher learning & Primary Schools, Special
Education, Secondary & Special Education
Institutions
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CONSTITUTION OF KENYA, 2010
4th Schedule Part 2: County
Government
#9: Pre-Primary, Village Polytechnics,
Homecraft Centres and Childcare
facilities
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EDUCATION STRUCTURE(TFES)
• Childcare up to 4 yrs old
• ECDE 2 yr
• Primary 6 yrs (3 yrs-Lower, 3 yrs– Upper)
• Secondary 6 yrs (3 yrs-Junior, 3 yrs–
Senior)
• Middle Level 2 yrs
• University 3 yrs (Minimum)
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E C D E (TFES)
• Mainstream ECDE ( 4-5 yrs old)
into basic education (free and
compulsory)
• Automatic transition from ECDE
to Primary
• Financing by County
• Provide
teachers
and
infrastructure
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PRIMARY (TFES)
• Challenges
–Vulnerable groups, incl. special Edu
–school feeding
–Teachers in local communities
• Pupil: Teacher Ratio 45:1
• Balance between Access and Quality
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SECONDARY (TFES)
• Challenges
–Infrastructure
–Enforcement of fees
–Unregulated levies
–Poor quality
• Pupil: Teacher Ratio 35:1
• Fees 19,238 incl. lunch. 14,614 w/o lunch
• Av. Teacher Load (ATL) raised from 18 to between
20-24 hrs/week
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KEY DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION,
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION SECTOR
• Demographic Shift and the Challenge of Wealth
and Employment Creation
• Knowledge Creation for Increasing Productivity of
the Kenyan Populace
• Knowledge Application for Creating a Viable
Portfolio of Tradable Goods and Services for the
Local, Regional and Global Market Place
• Skilling and Re-skilling Kenya’s Human Resources
to be Competitive Global Knowledge Workers
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Global Best Practices:
Salient Takeaways for Kenya
• Rationalising the Governance Structures to ensure appropriate
skills development at all levels
• Focus on National Development Priorities
• Appropriate and Targeted Human Resource Development
• Targeted Funding focusing on missing links in the knowledge
application value chain
• Robust intellectual property regimes explicitly recognising and
protecting indigenous resources and knowledge
• Inculcation of a Culture that Values and Applies Knowledge
• Focus on Consistency in Productivity Improvements
• Robust Structures for tracking progress and communicating
success
• Prestigious, and robust recognition and reward systems
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Technical and Vocational Education and Training Highlights
of TVET Recommendations
• Shift from supply–led training to demand-driven training,
developed by promoting the role of industry in both the design and
delivery of TVET curriculum
• Shift from time-bound, curriculum-based training to flexible and
competency-based training
• Centralised bodies – TVET Authority and TVET Examinations and
Certification Council, to ensure competence
• Rebranding to reposition TVET as the sector of choice for
candidates
• Focus on empowering TVET graduates as creators of employment
• Admissions process thro’ TVET Joint Admissions Board (TVETJAB)
• Tertiary Education Funding Board (TEFB) and Expanded HELB for
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Student Financial Aid
ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TVET
INSTITUTIONS
• Vocational Training Centres (VTC), at least one in each
Constituency, managed under BoG, award Artisan Certificate
• Technical College(TC), at least one in each County, managed
under BoG, award Craft Certificate and Technician Diploma,
• National Polytechnics and Technical Teachers’ Training
Colleges, Regional, managed by Councils, award Technical
Diploma and Technologist Degree (in collaboration with
universities)
• Technical Universities shall be established, Regionally, and
managed in accordance with the provisions of the Universities
Act 2012, award Technologists and Post Graduate Degree.
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University Education (UE):
Highlights of Recommendations
• CUE to promote, audit and assure Quality and regulate the
establishment, inspection and accreditation of institutions and
programs of all public and private universities, including their
satellite campuses.
• Central admissions coordination of universities (public and private)
through KUJAB, for GoK Schorlarships
• Cover all students with loans, bursaries and scholarships by the
year 2018 through the expanded HELB
• Establish a Kenya Universities Funding board for Institutional
funding
• Reduce the size of the Councils to a maximum of 11 members,
separation of regulatory, governing & management
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Key ST&I Recommendations
1. Make ST&I as the central pillar for creating a knowledge
based economy => Ministry of Knowledge Economy
2. Leverage ST&I to transform the economy through the
national priority areas
3. Create an effective and efficient Kenya National Innovation
System
4. Operationalise the triple helix and ccommercialise research
outputs => Innovation Agency (KENIA)
5. Mobilize every year at least the equivalent of 1% of GDP
from the Government, Private Sector and other sources to
fund the entire ST&I value chain => National Research Fund
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Key ST&I Recommendations
6. Attract, develop and retain a critical mass of world class human
resource capacities and capabilities, focusing on identified
national priority => Appropriate and targeted HR development
7. Develop and sustain a robust IP regime explicitly recognising and
protecting indigenous resources and knowledge
8. Support the development, renewal and maintenance of
supportive physical infrastructure and technologies required by
the key CoEs in ST&I
9. Establish a prestigious, comprehensive, robust and inclusive
ST&I reward and recognition framework founded in law
10. Develop, implement, continuously review and globally benchmark
a comprehensive performance management framework
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Kenya’s Tertiary Education & ST&I Sector
Proposed Governance
• Establishment of three ministries responsible for
Basic Education, Tetiary Education and Science,
Technology & Innovation (cf Malaysia 17 ministries
with these 3)
• Establishment of Presidential Level Awards in
Science, Technology and Innovation; Technology
and National Quality
• Biennial Conference & Symposia as well as
Regional and County Level Fairs
• National Performance Benchmarking Metrics that
are globally benchmarked
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NEWLY INDUSTRIALISING, MIDDLE-INCOME
COUNTRY, VISION 2030
• Kenya will be aiming to produce goods and services
of industrial nature that can be sold beyond her
borders to generate real income for the country
• the country hopes to be a middle-income economy
capable of providing high quality life for her citizens
• It has however long been recognised by
development economists that a country is only able
to realise such progress if its economy is innovative
• An innovative economy on the other hand is to be
realised through technological innovation
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NEWLY INDUSTRIALISING, MIDDLE-INCOME
COUNTRY, VISION 2030 (Cont’d)
• to make a breakthrough in industrialisation and
technological development one must begin by ensuring
that it has a critical mass of well qualified engineers
and technologists
• broad engineering skill required is typically considered
to be comprised of four cadres of staff, namely;
engineer, technologist, technician, craft / artisan
• For most developed countries the ideal ratio for the
four categories of professional is 1:2:4:16, typical
developing country however, it is considered that the more
realistic ratios would be 1:3:12:60
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NEWLY INDUSTRIALISING, MIDDLE-INCOME
COUNTRY, VISION 2030 (Cont’d)
• It is however estimated that for technological take-off, a country
should be having at least 500 engineers and engineering
technologists to 1 million people of the population
• Examples in this respect are: China - 1 engineer for 130 persons,
India – 157, Brazil – 227, UK – 311, USA – 389, Malaysia – 543,
South Africa – 3166, Tanzania – 5930, Namibia – 6346, Kenya 6300, Zimbabwe – 6373, and Swaziland – 12,238
• by 2030, Kenya shall be having a population of 60 million. At that
point then, for industrial takeoff, the country should be having
some 30,000 engineers and engineering technologists. This
means then that the economy will require at least 7,500 engineers,
22,500 engineering technologists, 90,000 engineering technicians,
and 450,000 craft/artisans
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Conclusion
Kenya’s march towards Vision 2030 and
improved welfare for all of her citizens is going
to be determined by how effectively it
identifies, accesses and applies knowledge.
COST
If education is expensive, try ignorance
THANK YOU
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