The University of Embu Vice Chancellor (VC) has attributed their position as the best performing state corporation in the performance contracting evaluation for the 2021/2022 Financial Year (FY) to teamwork.
While addressing the press, Prof. Daniel Mugendi said that they expected the good performance and it was not a surprise saying the good working relationship between parties has seen the varsity floor other universities.
“We have cascaded the teamwork from the junior employees to the top management and this is why we became number one. We look forward to maintaining our position since it is possible,” stated Prof. Mugendi.
Prof. Mugendi observed that each employee in the University has a target that should be met saying that has greatly inculcated a culture of responsibility and accountability that is propelling it to greater achievements.
“We are a very inclusive family whereby the VC is not seated on an ivory tower where he cannot be reached but we integrate and work as a team which has really helped us,” noted the VC.
He noted that despite the institution, which received its charter in 2016, having been ranked the best, it has its own challenges but it has always bench-marked from other best performing institutions in order to borrow what they are doing right and also avoid and learn from their mistakes.
In the 2019/2020 FY the university was ranked as the best performing state corporation and the second runners up in 2020/2021 FY.
The VC noted that various state universities are battling financial challenges and called on the government to inject more funds to universities so that they can operate optimally.
Mugendi disclosed that the biggest challenge facing universities is the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) saying that when negotiated, the government only gives arrears and does not fund the CBAs going forward.
He cited the 2017/21 CBA saying that the Government determined that it needed Ksh8.8 billion which was paid and the universities used the money to pay its members’ arrears adding that from 2021 going forward, the government never factored that budget in the universities’ budget.
He said that universities have been receiving the same amount of money that they have been receiving since the 2017/18 FY which he pointed out to be the biggest challenge affecting the operations of public universities.
He said the huge funding gap that is being experienced in the public universities can only be addressed by the government increasing the funding of public universities.
The government has since announced new model of funding universities.
While announcing the new model on 3 May, President William Ruto said the government was not increasing tuition fees but incorporating funding for universities and TVETs through government scholarships, student loans and household contributions.
Ruto said the vulnerable students will not pay tuition fees as they will get government scholarships that will cover the full cost of their education.
He said that, for the first time, poor students whose households are at the bottom of the income pyramid will enjoy equal opportunities in accessing university and TVET education.According to Ruto, about 45,000 vulnerable students will be fully funded by the government – that is 29% of new students who will join universities in the 2023-24 academic year.
By Musyoka Kaleti
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