READERS' CORNER: Why universities can’t allow industry to dictate courses

Why universities can’t allow industry to dictate courses
By Ogone John Obiero

Should universities train to the industry? This old question came to my mind when I read a report published in the Saturday Nation of September 24, 2016 on graduate employability. Among other things the survey, commissioned by British Council, found out is that firms in Kenya prefer graduates of public universities to private ones, that universities should prepare graduates for self employment and that there is a mismatch between training and industry expectations. The report even lists universities in Kenya whose graduates employers prefer in order of merit.

May I reiterate that in the university, we do three things: We teach, train (or impart skills) and conduct research (generate knowledge). It is also our social responsibility to engage in community outreach. So when the said report released a score card, the scientists probably accentuated only one side of the story. That is how Prof Daniel Sifuna and Dr Ibrahim Oanda arrived at the conclusion that industry prefers graduates from one university more than from another.

What then are the issues? The war of words between universities and industry did not begin yesterday. In all societies, universities will turn a deaf ear to instructions from industry.

Tony Bates once said: “Universities provide society with a safe way of gambling on the future, by encouraging innovative research and development that may have no immediate apparent short term benefits, or may lead to nowhere, without incurring major commercial or social loss”. Put another way, at university, we theorise, in the industry, they carry out.

So it is a question of which comes first. Industry wants to guide the theorising but the university is sceptical, arguing it may be misled. And indeed the university has been disastrously misled before by industry.

Sifuna and Oanda’s study reported, for instance, that employers look for graduates with a positive attitude, good communication, presentation skills and creative thinking. But we in the university will say our graduates are already equipped with those capabilities, and more.

Among the skills taught at university are communication skills, quantitative skills, social ethics, critical thinking, IT skills and so on.
The university teaches knowledge and skills; it does not do that with particular industries in mind. The reason for this is that industry changes fast. Since programmes in the university have a cycle, it is not possible to follow all rhythms of industry.

This is not to say universities can’t learn from industry; far from it. The word of caution is that the university should research paradigm shifts in industry before new programmes are developed. It would be foolish to name university programmes after industry demands.

University only serves industry as part of the wider society. It teaches a variety of skills accommodative of societal demands covering a long period. This is why universities equip graduates with knowledge that makes them adaptable. Universities deliver a competent product while industry appears to demand a usable product.

What, then, can we learn from Sifuna and Oanda’s report with regard to the employability of our graduates? One, that from the opinion of industry, public university graduates are somewhat more employable than their private counterparts; two, that industry regards graduates from some universities in Kenya with more esteem due to that fact alone; and three, that employers prefer students from business and social sciences compared to those from the natural sciences because the latter aren’t given practical skills in their courses.

I do not want to fault Sifuna and Oanda’s survey because I have not been lucky to see the full report. However, if what was published captures the true spirit of their findings, I can say without a doubt in my mind that there is nothing to learn from their survey.

Dr Ogone John Obiero teaches linguistics at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology; email: [email protected].

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Teachers crucial to Kenya’s development

By Patrick Kyunguti

Teaching is a noble profession while education is the backbone of a nation’s development.

Teachers are responsible for shaping the young minds under their care towards the desired direction. And their work is a form of calling. Indeed teachers play the role of second parents to their learners. Our education curriculum is supposed to mould our young people into well-adjusted individuals.

But it turns out that our education system is churning out all manner of individuals into the society — some who are a blessing to society and others who are a curse to it. Those who killed, looted and burned during the 2007 post-election violence passed through teachers’ hands, so did the rapists, violent criminals and terrorists in our prisons.

Which begs the question, when did the rain begin to beat us? Are teachers doing what they are supposed to do? Are they dedicated to their noble task? Do they teach values as they are supposed to? How many of them teach life skills? Do they motivate their learners? Why do we have in our midst maladjusted young people?

A nasty comment from a teacher can shatter a child’s world. Children need encouragement, not condemnation. Children will improve their grade if they are encouraged with love and kindness. The mind of a discouraged and intimidated child develops a culture of fear and low self esteem. This is no rocket science. It is what is taught in psychology classes. And yet few teachers recognize this.

Some teachers intimidate, insult, discourage and abuse their learners and create a disabling environment. If one cared to investigate, one would be shocked by the ruthless and unloving manner in which some unscrupulous teachers, who clearly do not see teaching as a noble profession, handle learners.

This shows that some teachers need to be taken for refresher courses. They should not be allowed to taint the image of the profession. Those who treat their learners harshly need to ask themselves how they would feel if their own children were treated the same way. It is possible that some learners who never made it to university probably had their confidence and self-esteem shattered by teachers.

It is time the government also realised the noble role played by teachers and found ways of motivating them. A teacher who tops in exam performance nationally deserves some kind of recognition and reward. Complete silence from the employer demotivates the teachers who work the hardest and sends the wrong signal to those at the bottom.

Kenya is in the process of developing a new curriculum through the Ministry of Education’s Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. The current knowledge-based curriculum is going to be replaced by a competency-based curriculum. The current curriculum encourages the acquisition of knowledge for its own sake and the passing of exams.

The competency-based curriculum seeks to ensure learners acquire certain key competences such as communication and collaboration, problem solving, digital literacy, learning to learn, critical thinking and creativity.

The writer is a former English/Literature teacher and is currently an editor at a publishing firm.

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Let’s take oral literature to digital world
By Edwin Oteya

There is excitement in schools that have been supplied with the digischool laptops and tablets. This is because these resources will add more value to the pupils and facilitate learning.

This development reminds me of the radio lessons prepared by the Kenya Institute of Education, that we cherished while in primary school. In fact, my former don at Maseno University, Dr Florence Odera, in her paper titled ‘Using World Space Radio to improve the quality of primary education in Kenya at distance,’ has said it all.

Despite some demerits of using the radio, she expounds its advantages. That the radio supplements and reinforces the teacher’s work, it makes learning more interesting, hence more learning. It also improves the student’s performance and makes it easier to use the most recent information.

Furthermore, she adds, when an expert gives a language lesson, it helps provide a standard of that language for the pupils to emulate. The radio breaks the monotony of the regular classroom teacher’s voice, it assists the teacher in taking unfamiliar topics through the way the curriculum content is presented. Lastly, she says, teachers use the radio to revise or introduce new topics at certain times and it helps overcome the shortage of textbooks and other conventional instructional materials.
Now, if all these are the pros of using the radio, what about the more advanced laptops and tablets? These gadgets are audio-visual and highly interactive vis-à-vis the radio.

Therefore, they would take the teaching and learning process a notch higher. Besides, the learner will have a head start in relation to the use of computers. The pupils will not only be learning through them but also develop skills like typing and researching, among others.

In addition, reliance on paper work will reduce as more information can be stored in them. It could also sort out the problem of buying many textbooks and other reference material as they can be stored in soft copy.

Learning will be more learner-centred and fun. I hope content developers will help revive the dying oral literature. Let them come up with oral narratives, proverbs, riddles, tongue-twisters, puns, jokes, songs and dances, poetry, chants and banters to entertain and teach pupils. Technology can conserve our oral tradition.

The writer is a freelance journalist and teacher of English literature based in Nairobi.

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Varsities have been a boon to rural society
By Mutahi Miricho

The primary schools laptop project and university expansion have had a big impact on rural development. They have brought to communities much more than education achievement. Nearly all schools in Kenya today have electricity, courtesy of the laptop project. This is benefiting many more people over and above the class one pupils.

We now have 30 public universities in different parts of the country. This has transformed rural life. Previously quiet marketplaces like Ndagani in Chuka have become busy urban centres within a short time after a university was set up there.

Universities have given opportunities to the business community to put up hostels, hotels and other business premises previously found only in cities and big towns.

They have also opened employment opportunities for people to work as lecturers, office assistants, librarians, cleaners, cooks and security officers, among others. Farmers have new markets for their produce while banks and transporters have new clients.

The writer is the author of Writing School Compositions and Msingi wa Insha, both by Jomo Kenyatta Foundation.

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To be fluent in a language, speak it loud
By Sharma’arke Khalif

Many have said that the English language is one of the hardest to learn. However, one mistake people often make is putting in effort to study grammar rather than conversational English.

In order to become a good English speaker, remember to focus on actually conversing rather than just memorising grammatical rules. If you continue to limit yourself to social circles that do not speak English, it will make fluency that much more difficult.

Most importantly, remember that all the listening and reading in the world will not make you a better speaker. Many people are intimidated at first when they try to jump into conversation, but it is the only way to improve your fluency.

Do not be afraid. People will be more impressed at your ability to speak a second language than your accent or mispronunciation of words.
Use any resources you can to better your English language skills. Remember, it is good to get out into the world and put all you have learned to good use. Language is the road map of a culture.

The writer lives in Eldoret.

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