Focus On Research-Based Courses, Higher Education Institutions Urged
Institutions of higher education have been urged to invest more in research courses and skill development in order to minimize the youth unemployment rate.
Prof. Erastus Njoka, a former vice chancellor at Chuka University, argued that it is crucial to sponsor the courses since they are based on practical experience and will play crucial roles in industries such as manufacturing, innovation, agriculture, and entrepreneurship.
Njoka, speaking in Kirinyaga County at the Mount Kenya Education Exhibition, urged participants in the education sector to encourage students to pursue research courses that will allow them to be self-employed and establish an effective workforce in the country.
At present, he said the world requires a trained and competent labor force for individual and national economic prosperity.
Njoka urged the parents not to force their children into universities if they did not achieve the required grade, but rather enable them to enroll in technical institutes where they will acquire more valuable skills.
At the show, students from various secondary schools talked with professionals from regional universities and technical institutes regarding course selection.
The guest speaker, Njoka, stated that tertiary institutions have been underfunded in research activities for a long time, leading to the misconception that only countries from the first world can offer research courses.
“Our local universities were for long not funded owing to such falsehoods that you must go abroad to do research. We do need more funds injected into that crucial department in order to facilitate research of some of the hard pressing issues that affect our communities,” noted the Professor.
Prof. Erastus Njoka, a former vice chancellor at Chuka University
Further, he advocated for the incorporation of entrepreneurship-related courses in order to hone the skills of future employees who are business-minded pupils.
In the most recent discussion over the privatization of public colleges, the former vice chancellor urged caution. He stated that the state should seek sound guidance so that poor students who cannot afford to pay tuition are not excluded.
“We must consider all best practices from around the world. In general, colleges receive funding, and I am confident that our president will receive sound counsel,” Njoka reiterated.
He mantained that it is not a good idea to privatize all public colleges because many students from modest homes attend them. “Let education be affordable and students be allowed to pay fees which is reasonable,” he said.
Charles Njiru, a renowned businessman from Kirinyaga, urged more students to study business-related degrees in order to join the entrepreneurial brotherhood.
This, he added, will assist in transforming more Kenyans from job seekers to job creators and in employing a greater number of skilled professionals.
Focus On Research-Based Courses, Higher Education Institutions Urged
