By Roy Hezron
The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has been allocated a total of Sh250 million to establish the much anticipated Open University of Kenya under the 2022/2023 Financial Year’s First Supplementary Estimates.
In the estimates report submitted by the Ministry of Education to the Parliamentary Budget Office on February 2023 the establishment of the university is a main priority area of the government, and will help to improve the 100 per cent transition to higher education in the country.
“This is one of the priority areas of the new government enumerated in its manifesto for the education sector to support 100 per cent transition to higher education. An allocation of Sh250 Million has been provided under the JKUAT to establish the Open University,” read the report.
The National Open University of Kenya (NOUK) will provide distance learning and allow more students to enroll for academic programmes since it will not be bound by physical infrastructure.
An open university allows flexibility, where students study at home and at their convenience, using pre-packaged learning materials and online resources.
The best example of an Open University is the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) which was established in 1994, hence becoming the first university in the whole of East African region to fully offer educational programmes on open and distance learning mode.
In Tanzania, OUT is a fully fledged, autonomous and accredited public University, established by an Act of Parliament Number 17 of 1992, which became operational on March 1, 1993; with its first Chancellor being installed in a full ceremony on January 19, 1994.
OUT admitted its first batch of students in January 1994 and in January 2007, it started using the OUT Charter and Rules (2007) for its operations.
Currently, it has more students that all students in other universities in Tanzania.
OUT operates through a network of about 30 Regional Centres; 10 Coordinating Centres, of which one is in Zanzibar and one in Pemba; two are in Kenya (Egerton and Njoro), one is in Rwanda (Kibungo), one in Namibia and one in Uganda among others.
Just like Tanzania, in Kenya, NOUK might take a similar outlook established by a charter or a letter of interim authority, infrastructure in place and the locations, including of constituent colleges among others.
In Kenya, the idea was first fronted more than 20 years ago, though in 2016 it appeared to have taken a turn when the then Education Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i said the Cabinet had approved its establishment.
During the electioneering period in 2022, President Ruto then promised to set up a National Open University to increase access and reduce the cost of university education while making 100 per cent transition to higher education a reality.
However, the fate of NOUK will be known when the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) will submit its final report this March 2023.
President Ruto had asked the taskforce to recommend a framework of operationalizing the National Open University of Kenya and a framework on Open, Distance and E-line learning (ODEL).
According to Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, the move to establish the Open University (NOUK) is among the far-reaching reforms the Ministry is putting in place to address the costing effect of university education in the country.
“One of the flagship initiatives that the Kenya Kwanza administration is currently undertaking to enhance access to affordable university education is the establishment of the National Open University of Kenya. Once established, the National Open University will make university education more affordable, accessible, and attainable to all students, no matter their location or income level”, said Machogu.
He said the availability of skilled and knowledgeable manpower is vital in solving divergent needs and challenges of modern society, including globalization, technological advancement, climate change, poverty, cyber security and the burden of diseases.
“The role of universities in training, research and innovation cannot be overstated. This is a critical sub-sector that is of direct relevance to our national and regional development agenda”, said the Cabinet Secretary.
Others countries in Africa with this kind of university include Nigeria which has the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Zambia which has Zambian Open University (ZOU) among others.
