By Kamau Njoroge
Zetech University has moved to fulfill the quest for developing human skill and thought and ventured into arts, social sciences, education, and human services courses to emerge among the leading trainers of degree and diploma courses in the area of human services.
The University Vice Chancellor Prof Njenga Munene said that the School of Education, Arts and Social Sciences has led from the front in initiating highly rated programmes which have increasingly become popular due to their learner-centered approach and focus on industry performance.
The Bachelor of Education programme has attracted many students, becoming the most popular programme in the University.
Kenya has a shortage of teachers running to hundreds of thousands and with the coming of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), this gap is expected to grow bigger since the CBC is expected to be implemented by more teachers than usual.
He noted that the University is unrelenting in its pursuit to become a global hub in the training of youth in human skills and arts, the school has recently developed their degree programmes; Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Technology, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Technology, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Technology.
“This is a response to the emerging needs of psychological and sociological services in our society as evidenced by many cases of domestic violence, school riots, suicide, homicide, truancy, unprofessional behavior, political strife, and the pressures of the economy and education. Looking at the next frontier in University education, the future of the School of Education, Arts and Social Sciences and indeed that of Zetech University can only become brighter. We are indeed helping the youth to invent their future,” the don said.
Prof Munene said that the school is committed to molding individuals to tackle diplomatic challenges in the region and globally. Locally, the challenge of security has been addressed by development of a diploma programme in Criminology and Security Studies, a course that has become very popular among practicing security practitioners.
“To bridge the gap in the area of politics and human relations the Bachelor of International Relations and Diplomacy as well as its corresponding Diploma were among the initial programmes in the school,” he noted.
He said that recognizing that tourism is a critical economic factor in Kenya, the University developed diploma and bachelor degree courses to provide labor to this sub-sector.
“Diploma in Hospitality Management, Diploma in Tourism Management, as well as the Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management have so far produced many graduates who are working in key areas in this sub-sector in the country and in the region,” Munene said.
The VC noted that a number of students are currently pursuing further training abroad, having secured scholarships due to their exemplary performance.
In the same breath, he said that the school has developed a Diploma in Community Health to bridge the existing gaps in public health especially in view of the health challenges including communicable diseases, tropical diseases, malnutrition, poor hygiene, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic.
