By Education News Team
Attempts by the Ministry of Education Science and Technology to scrap parallel degree programme is suicidal to Kenyan education.
Former Minister of Education, Prof. Sam Ongeri has said such a move will reverse gains made over the years in the education sector.
Prof Ongeri said the parallel degree programme (Module Two Programme) is the lifeline of public universities especially at the time when the government has reduced university funding to worrying levels.
He said besides Module Two generating billions of shillings to public universities, the programme is churning out professionals in large numbers to meet the increased demand of graduates in various fields.
Addressing the Senate Committee on Education, the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) National Steering Committee at a Nairobi hotel recently, Prof Ongeri who is a member of the Senate Committee cautioned the Ministry of Education against implementing the decision to scrap parallel degree Programme. “We received information that the Government was contemplating to abolish Module Two with disbelief. The reason being given is that the money collected from the programme in various schools/colleges is not properly accounted for. This can still be addressed without necessarily scrapping the programme.
“Another issue that students who are classified as under-qualified are admitted to university programmes even without the necessary academic qualifications can also be sorted out without abolishing the programme,” said Prof Ongeri. He chaired the selected committee that worked on the recommendation to establish parallel degree programmes in public universities.
Prof Ongeri who is the Senator of Kisii County said as much as they encourage reforms in the university sub-sector, they would not support changes that would reverse gains made in the education sector over the years.
The Professor of Medicine (Paediatrics) who was accompanied by Uasin Gishu Senator Prof Margaret Kamar, KUPPET National Chairman, OmbokoMilemba (MP Emuhaya), Catherine Wambilyanga (Woman Representative Bungoma) among other legislators suggested that the Ministry of Education should instead tighten the reigns on admission and accountability of funds as opposed to giving up on the programme as a whole.
“Parallel degree programme has been and still is of benefit to many students and the county. It would be a shame to see it go to the dogs. Let the Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities streamline the programme” said Prof Ongeri.
Prof Kamar urged the two education committees in liaison with teachers’ unions to convene urgently education stakeholders meeting to discuss touchy issues in the sector including the on-going the curriculum review, Teacher Appraisal, delocalization of teachers, remuneration of teachers and universities’ academic staff, research in universities, infrastructure in learning institutions, assessment, funding of education and other related issues.
Kamar took issue with Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) why it side-lined university academic staff in the on-going curriculum review exercise yet it is varsities that churn out teachers, and design teaching aids.
Prof Ongeri said curriculum review should be an all-inclusive exercise without side-lining principal players in the sector like professors, lecturers, teachers, education managers and curriculum designers among others.
The Chairman of Senate Committee on Education, Dr Andrew Langat advised the Government to address issues touching on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of academic staff of Public universities as service delivery in the varsities is already being affected.
The legislator observed that a demoralised teaching force would not deliver as expected. He appealed to Cabinet Secretary for Education Science and Technology, Amb. Dr Amina Mohamed to embrace dialogue with a view of bring to an end many challenges facing the sector.
