Training gaps stand in the way of Kenya’s economic aspirations

A graduation ceremony in Kenya: Not many people are going for science-based disciplines. PHOTO | FILE 

By JAMES KARIUKI and BRIAN NGUGI

In Summary

• Universities shun science based courses which are touted as key drivers of growth in industries, engineering and innovation.

Kenya’s Vision 2030, a package of economic and social policies designed to propel the country to middle-income status, lists industrialisation as one of the strategies of achieving its development dreams.

A look at the country’s training capacity however reveals shocking realities that make nonsense of such aspirations.

Less than 15 per cent of students enrolled in public and private universities last year study science, math and engineering putting at risk Kenya’s quest for industrialisation.

A combination of high tuition costs and market demand for courses in social sciences and humanities has pushed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Kenya to the back burner, a phenomenon that alarms experts.

According to a newly released report by the Commission for University Education (CUE) titled State of University Education in Kenya, the institutions of higher learning have shifted focus from STEM-based courses that are touted as key drivers of growth in industries, engineering and innovation.

As such almost 50 per cent of all students in public universities study arts and social science based courses. Most students are registered in business and administration at 22.3 per cent, education arts at 14.7 per cent and humanities and arts at 8.9 per cent.

The report says that although several government policies have identified the need to promote training in STEM, little effort has been made to ensure increased enrolment of students in these subjects at university level.

The total enrolment of students in 2015 was 539,749 compared to 440,840 in 2014.

Several studies show that for Kenya to achieve its ambitious economic blue print, Vision 2030, it must produce a sufficient quantity of scientists and engineers in the short term.

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But CUE, in its report, says the 71 public and private universities in the country mainly concentrate on the arts, social sciences and humanities which take up 50 per cent of the student enrolment leaving a paltry 15 per cent for STEM courses.

“There is a need for caution to avoid the perpetuation of trends where university courses are developed largely on narrow short-term, market determined fields, such as business,” says the report.

It calls for a shift from what it terms the myopic lens to a more strategic programme development that ensures a healthy balance between a concern for revenue generation and the urgency of building excellent capacity in areas of health and welfare, science, technology, agriculture, engineering manufacturing and construction and aligning research agendas closer to national development priority areas and sustainable development goals.

Deliberate effort

The report says business administration is the most popular course taking up 22.3 per cent, education arts (14.7 per cent) and Humanities and Arts 8.9 per cent. It calls for more funding of STEM subjects and incentives to encourage students of both genders to enrol in STEM areas.