The chasm between middle level colleges and graduate studies at our local universities is being gaped. Previously neither students who had a higher diploma where not able to get an admission for masters programme locally nor those who had a diploma were able to transfer their credits in pursuit of a bachelors degree.
Alice Wahome a technologist at the University of Nairobi, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (INST) stands as a testimony that Kenyan local university are modeling there programmes to resonate with the global trend where no one is counted a fairer in education so long as one is able to muster enough enthusiasm, determination and devotion to climb the academic ladder.
“When I did not secure a direct admission to university I felt that those who made it were not better than I,” Wahome says, “thus notwithstanding that after my A- level examinations I did not make it to university I was not contended to settle down without attaining a degree in my area of interest.”
Wahome felt that one examination setting was not enough to disqualify her from advancing without considering her performance over the years. She made effort to move on through the meandering paths of academics.
After her A-level studies at Kabare Girls high School she joined Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) for her studies in Telecommunication Engineering. “One's subject of interest and passion should guide one's career choice,” she explains, adding that, “ at secondary school level I looked at sciences and mathematics as prestigious subjects.”
She says that most girls shun sciences and mathematics from myths that they are meant for men thus developing a negative attitude towards them. “I usually don't flow with the masses,” Wahome says.
During her three years at KIMC she schooled with only six ladies who were pursuing engineering related courses. Every year they used to sit for an engineering artisan examination that was offered by Kenya National Examination Council (Knec). After her second artisan certificate, she was retained in the institution's engineering department as an employee with the ministry of information and broadcasting to facilitate learning.
“In those days you were given a personal number by the ministry of information and broadcasting as an employee once you joined KIMC,” she says. It was while working at KIMC that she enrolled for her advanced examination as a private candidate and passed to secure a diploma. While at KIMC she did a course in instructor training at Kenya Technical Training College (KTTC). By this time she was married.
She joined INST as a technologist in 1997. “At the INST it's more of electronics than telecommunications - maintaining science equipment at the laboratory.” The passion to seize her dream never drowned with the increase in responsibility as a parent, a wife and a worker. She proceeded to join Kenya Polytechnic for a higher diploma in Electrical Engineering department albeit discouragement that the course was a hard nut to crack.
She was encouraged by realizing that she was at par with her colleagues and able to jungle so many things at the same time. “My husband has been very supportive notwithstanding being in the world of human resource,” Wahome says.
When the INST started offering a unit in renewable energy she was transferred to its laboratory. It was a new branch. She requested to be taken for an orientation course. In the process she found renewable energy to be a field of interest as she was able to integrate her background in engineering with its application.
She was overjoyed when Egerton University department of Industrial Energy and Engineering started offering a master in science (MSC) in Engineering Systems and Management with a pre-masters programme that runs for one year to integrate higher diploma holders into the system.
“Middle level diploma institutions prepares one to fit into the industry while universities orients one along an academic line,” the technologist says, “at pre-masters one learns about research, data analysis, writing research papers and a proposal among other courses.”
“An Engineering is a manager in his/her right,” she explains why there is emphasis in management for engineering students at Egerton, “for one to proceed for a masters programme – 60 per cent is the minimal score required.”
Wahome is through with her course work in her MSC where she has specialist in renewable energy. she has now embarked on her research that will see bio-diesel extracted from rice products. She concurs with Burt Lawlor that: “Decision and determination are the engineer and fireman of our train to opportunity and success.”
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