Postgraduate numbers fall in new universities crisis

The number of Kenyans seeking postgraduate education fell by over 50% last year, and a further decline is expected this year. While the reasons are unclear, the situation presents the country with a fresh challenge in its economic ambitions.

Latest data released by the government show that the number of scholars registering for masters and PhD courses dropped by 51.1% last year. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, a total of 32,977 students registered for masters and PhD courses last year, down from 67,407 in 2016.

The total amount of loan funds disbursed by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to postgraduate students also dropped from US$2.6 million to US$2.4 million last year.

It is estimated that the number will fall further this year, contrary to the trend in the past decade when thousands of working graduates were trooping back to class to boost their chances of finding better jobs.

No explanation

While the government is yet to explain the decline, a Nairobi-based lecturer who asked to remain anonymous said it could be a result of higher fees and a drop in the quality of learning. Additionally, the demand for degrees may have fallen due to “flooding” following years of growth, he said.

Whatever the cause, the drop is expected to deny Kenya the much-needed skills base to drive its economic growth agenda anchored on the Vision 2030 development plan.

The government has also set a target of generating at least 1,000 PhDs annually through public universities to transform the higher education sector. This plan, to be rolled out through scholarships, would eventually produce the next generation of academics, alleviate the lecturer shortage and provide high-level skills.

“Why the numbers would fall by such a huge margin remains a matter of speculation but the execution of postgraduate programmes has in recent years raised a number of pertinent questions. Are the fees charged for postgraduate programmes justified? Do employees who register for these courses ever get value for their money? Do employers, especially those who sponsor workers to pursue advanced degrees, get value for their money? Could the numbers be shrinking because students are slowly voting with their feet?” said the Business Daily in an editorial on the matter.

“Well, the bottom line is that the figures call for a return to the drawing board. Whether at undergraduate or postgraduate levels, the ultimate mission of a university is to generate knowledge through research and teaching. The experience is, however, that most institutions of higher learning design their programmes with the primary goal of attracting revenue, as opposed to matching the grand goals of a university,” said the newspaper.

Idle capacity

The drop in postgraduate numbers is expected to leave universities with idle capacity after years of massive investments and prompt a rethink of higher education policy.

“The recent trend is posing a new crisis in the higher education sector. The plan has been to increase the postgraduate numbers to enhance quality in the sector and boost the quality of the teaching force in the universities. The fall in the numbers complicates this plan,” said Charles Njuguna, a part-time lecturer in Nairobi who teaches in several of the Kenyan universities.

Three years ago, the Commission for Higher Education announced that only PhD holders would be allowed to teach at universities as lecturers.

According to government statistics, the number of professors in public universities has risen by only 13% over the past eight years while student numbers have soared by 60% – from 140,000 in 2010 to more than 330,000 this year – generating an ever-rising student-to-lecturer ratio. Universities across the country have been on a recruitment drive, hiring lecturers on part-time contracts.