Varsities Offering Unaccredited Courses That EBK Says Are Not Employable.
Thousands of engineering students face the risk of not being registered as professionals because their courses have not been accredited by the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK).
On Thursday, March 10, EBK revealed that 26 courses taught in Kenyan universities are useless because they are not employable.
EBK Registrar Margaret Ogai stated before the National Assembly’s Committee on Education and Research that most unaccredited universities lack the same educational standards and qualities as accredited universities.
“It is a waste of resources for the parents and students taking unaccredited courses and such waste affects our country’s economy negatively,” she stated.
The University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and Egerton University are among the universities that offer unaccredited courses.
Egerton University is at the top of the list, with five unaccredited engineering courses that include Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Control Engineering, Civil and Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Manufacturing Engineering.
Petroleum Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering are among the unaccredited courses offered by Kenyatta University.
“Unaccredited universities usually do not have the same educational standards and policies as accredited ones and hence the quality and standards of the education offered cannot be guaranteed,” Ms Ogai said.
The University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and Egerton University are among the universities that offer unaccredited courses
Three Egerton University students filed a petition alleging that their right to education had been violated by being forced to take an unaccredited course.
In 2019, the three received degrees in Water and Environmental Engineering.
The students claim they have been unable to find work and want Parliament to order the university to allow them to complete eight remedial units in order to upgrade their degrees to Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is accredited.
They also want the university to pay them Ksh750,000 to upgrade their courses to accredited status.
They also want the university to stop accepting new students into the programs.
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Prof Isaac Kibwage, Vice-Chancellor of Egerton University, told Parliament that the university is willing to provide eight remedial courses free of charge to graduates.
He went on to say that the courses had since been reviewed to meet the EBK requirements for BSc Civil and Environment Engineering and that a request to CUE to change the course name is also in the works.
Egerton University Grapples Under Sh6 Billion Debt
Varsities Offering Unaccredited Courses That EBK Says Are Not Employable.
