Commission for University Education Chief Executive Officer David Some. A
parliamentary watchdog has launched investigations into how two Kenyan
public universities invested millions of shillings to set up campuses in
Rwanda and Tanzania. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A parliamentary watchdog has launched investigations into how
two Kenyan public universities invested millions of shillings to set up
campuses in Rwanda and Tanzania.
The
Public Investments Committee (PIC) in the National Assembly, chaired by
Adan Keynan (Eldas, ODM), has asked vice-chancellors of Kenyatta
University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
(JKUAT) to explain their investments in those countries.
This
is after Prof David Some, the chief executive officer of Kenya’s
university education regulator, the Commission for University Education
(CUE), said the setting up of campuses outside Kenya was not approved
by the commission.
The two universities have until Thursday to provide the information to the committee.
“The
committee resolves to write to you to request for information on the
investment of establishing and operating of the university’s campuses in
Rwanda and Tanzania,” states the letter dated March 24.
In
the letter, the committee specifically wants to know the number and
locations of the campuses in the said countries, the rationale for
establishing and opening the campuses outside Kenya, the total cost of
the investments, the consent from the ministry of Education to invest
and operate outside Kenya and whether the investment is in line with the
statute establishing the two universities.
The universities are required to submit five copies of the requested information, including supporting documents.
The
PIC is responsible for examining and monitoring public investments and
ensuring that the public investments are managed in accordance with the
sound financial or business principles and prudent commercial practices.
PUT ON NOTICE
Last
month, CUE put on notice public universities setting up campuses
outside the country, saying public institutions would have to justify
doing so since they do not admit government-sponsored students to those
campuses though they are funded by the exchequer.
Prof
Some said the law does not give the commission a role in accrediting
courses outside Kenya, but they would crack down on them.
“The
commission does not recognise the campuses outside the country, which,
according to the regulator, have failed to meet the criteria for
establishing the units,” said Prof Some.
JKUAT
has campuses in Tanzania and Rwanda, while Kenyatta University has one
in Kigali, all offering undergraduate and post-graduate courses.
The
University of Nairobi and the University of Rwanda recently held
discussions on a partnership. Among the private universities, Mount
Kenya has a campus in Rwanda.
Prof Some acknowledged that there was no policy to guide public universities in setting up campuses abroad.
This year, the government allocated Sh52.9 billion, up from Sh34 billion last year, to 31 public universities.
Kenyan
universities with campuses in foreign nations are seen to be doing so
for profit because they do not admit government-sponsored Kenyan
students.
Regulations state that a
campus should be the lowest unit of any university, and is required to
have local administrative structures clearly linked to the main
institution.
The 2015 Economic Survey showed that university enrolment rose by 22.8 per cent, from 361,379 in 2013 to 443,783 in 2014.
In 2015, an additional 100,000 students were admitted to public and private universities.
No comments :
Post a Comment