These two students share a discontent that is widespread amongst learners in our institution of higher learning: they’re of the thought that our university education is far from meeting its learner’s expectation. “The students have appoint,” says one of the local university lecture, “the core mission of our universities is yet to be fully realized.”
There is a kind of discordant between the expectation of students and the role of lectures,” says one of the retired professor, “the role of a teacher at university level is to guide students into the fountain of knowledge as they involve themselves in learning.” He is of the same mind with his colleague from another university who says: “we are here to nurture a people who are fascinated in acquiring knowledge, formulating appropriate questions and seeking answers to prevailing problems thus becoming tools with a potential of making the world a safe place to live in.”
But their views are oil and water at best with those of a majority of the students in our institutions of learning, who term their approach as “one that need refinement,” “unorthodox,” and “frustrating.”
The parallel degree program takes the lion’s share of the blame, “the driving force is minting money,” says one of the aggravated students. She feels that the module II students are “spoon feed” where everything is systematized from teaching, practical for those taking science oriented causes, and to the manner of taking exams.
“It’s difficult for students to argue from a world view perspective,” one of the visiting professor from USA University says, “if they have never visited or learnt in another university – that is why exchange programs are very appropriate and timely; I will encourage students to seize the opportunity.” He further adds: “the alumni from Kenyan universities are calling sorts in their professional undertaking which is a testimony that they have the potential of producing excellent products: different universities afford diverse learning environment and advantages; it’s a student’s enthusiasm and attitude towards learning that makes the whole distinction.”
Moses Oketch of Vanderbilt University in his article: The Growth of Private University Education in Kenya: The Promise and Challenge resonates with this don that our universities have “accomplished their initial mission of producing adequate human resources for the civil service, national corporations, and the private sector; graduated thousands of students; and helped foster an intellectual community in the country. In just 30 years, public higher education has expanded from a single university (the University of Nairobi) to the current 6 public universities: Nairobi, Moi, Kenyatta, Egerton, Jomo Kenyatta, and Maseno. “ But he has a bone to chew with the stake holders of higher education: “In spite of this growth, public universities in Kenya have faced enrollments beyond their capacity to plan and finance, fiscal challenges beyond their control, a decline in quality beyond their anticipation, and weak management practices beyond their level of training.” “To help solve some of these problems,” he goes in length to note that: “private universities have increasingly emerged and gained ground in the country as an alternative route to higher education provision. “
In the issue of curriculum where students are confused from the many general requirements they are supposed to pursue a long side their major core requirements, cognates and electives especially in private universities; one of the lecture from such a private university feels that concerned persons need to elucidate to the students, why?
But she notes that she too sailed in the same boat as a student but she cannot regret: “undergraduate program is more than pursuing a specific area of studies somewhat a foundation to lay one’s fortress into a future with a vast horizon.” She adds, “Each university has its clearly defined mission and philosophy, thus apart from offering the mental pursuit (academics) some of the university are build on the foundation of answering a student’s spiritual, physical, and social needs.”
She of the concept that students need to understand this before joining the university: this is why each university is autonomous.
One parent feels that our university students are an embarrassment to themselves, “majority of them indulge in drinking and smoking, unnecessary pleasures, fluid relationships and hooliganisms at the expense of concentrating in their studies.” He concurs with one of the lecture who laments that most of the students “are given to making technical appearances in classes – woefully some abscond to take exams. This is a very bad trend from students who are expected to be mature and self disciplined.”
He further notes: “some students depend on notes from others - they photocopy, the libraries are brimful during exam times, and guess what? Majority are victims of cheating in exams.” He agrees that students’ argument has a point to bring home but they need to reexamine their posture towards learning as individuals.
“Why do students in other university have the potential and time to come up with breakthrough to reckon in their dorms while ours are a fill of blasting music and theater of watching movies and love making arenas,” asks one of the lectures who has an inclination towards entrepreneurship, “indeed we might be having genuine reasons why we cannot compare with them but we can do something – where is that small contribution of ours?” Pauses sighting examples of Bill Gates who dropped from Harvard University embracing Microsoft, Larry Page and his friend Sergey Brin while graduate students at Stanford University sired Google and Mark Zuckerberg (24 years old) of Facebook a Harvard University drop out too: their amazing innovations have launched them into genius entrepreneurs of their own class. This is a challenge to our university students, isn’t it?
FAS Communications notes that: “The professors in Harvard are a busy bunch. Whether teaching undergraduate seminars or engaging in cutting-edge research, advising senior theses or presiding at international conferences, faculty members regularly balance a variety of professional responsibilities.” It further explains: “Harvard honors the achievements of those who, in addition to their research activities, have demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching and have made significant contributions to advising and mentoring students.” Is this the secret? Is it not a challenge to our university administration and lectures?
“The broadening of a student’s mind is both a teacher’s greatest obligation and greatest reward,” says Michael D. Smith, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
At Harvard a tutorial is a two hour per week course for advanced undergraduates designed and taught by a graduate student (who both lectures and also supervises individual projects on which the students write term papers and deliver lectures). A course assistant runs weekly review classes to supplement the main lectures and grades problem sets. Prof. Cohn demystifies.
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