Uncertain future for lucrative parallel degree programme

The University of Nairobi, Kenya’s second largest by student numbers, is struggling to keep the once lucrative parallel degree programme afloat as it continues to suffer from dwindling admission numbers.

On Tuesday, the university announced that it had merged the unit that was handling self-sponsored students with another, in what it said was a bid to end duplication and mitigate costs.

The announcement left the university with a public relations exercise as local media reported that the unit was on its death-bed as it was not generating as much income for the institution as was expected.

The university council chairperson, Professor Julia Ojiambo, said the board, in a meeting held on 19 November, agreed to restructure the Centre for Self Sponsored Programmes (CESSP), a division that two years ago was bringing millions of dollars into the institution.

Redeployment of staff

“The council thus resolved that the statute that established the CESSP be revoked with immediate effect and that all staff under the then CESSP be humanely redeployed into the mainstream services of the institution and be assigned responsibilities in line with their training,” said Ojiambo in a statement.

The developments have been seen by many observers as an indication that the model is no longer tenable for the university.

They follow reports that the government has announced it will collect all monies generated from public universities – mainly through the self-sponsored student programme – in accordance with austerity measures proposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, the university said it was not discontinuing the parallel scheme. “This development does not in any way affect module II or parallel academic programmes. We shall continue to admit both government and self-sponsored students as we have done before,” it said.

Declining numbers

Universities have been struggling to close the financial gap that has emerged since the government cut the university entry grade to C+ for state-funded learners three years ago. This resulted in a decline in numbers under the parallel (self-sponsored) programme, the biggest revenue generator for public institutions apart from government subsidies.

Previously, the cut-off grade was a B+. Students who did not achieve the minimum entry grade would join the institutions as private fee-payers rather than government subsidised. Since the lowering of the entry grade, more students are now being enrolled in the regular programme which is more than 10 times cheaper.

Government statistics show that the University of Nairobi has recorded a major drop in student numbers – from 98,715 in 2015 to 67,827 this year.

The changes are the latest among the woes facing the university as it battles to regain its foothold in Kenya’s lucrative and increasingly competitive higher education sector amid fast-rising rivals.

Firstly, the university is emerging from a noisy succession battle which has seen the removal of the vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Mbithi, and his replacement with Professor Isaac Mbeche in an acting capacity. Secondly, there is a freeze on staff appointments.

Thirdly, the institution is to cut the number of staff working beyond the retirement age of 70. Only those involved in research, supervision of postgraduate students or who are able to bring research grants to the university will be retained.

Fourthly, it is to lay off half its contract workers, using part-time lecturers for its Kisumu and Mombasa campuses, according to its vice-chancellor.

The country’s education sector has been undergoing a series of reforms which are set to define the future of the higher education sector.

Kenya has 74 public and private universities and has witnessed rapid sector growth in the past five years. In 2012 the country had seven public universities, which now number 31. Student enrolment has also risen from 122,847 in 2008 to 586,434 in 2018, with the largest number of enrolments (507,554) being in the public universities.

Early last year, former education cabinet secretary Amina Mohamed directed the Commission for University Education to justify the existence of all 74 universities in the country, asking universities to defend their academic programmes and provide evidence of sufficient staffing.