By Roy Hezron
The Technical Working Committee on the establishment of the Open University of Kenya (OUK) has begun developing the modules for academic programmes that will be offered once the university begins its operations in September this year 2023.
The working committee which composed of experts drawn from several local and international institutions Chaired by Prof. Ezra Maritim has embarked on the process of developing modules for online courses for first and second year of study on March 12, 2023 with the process currently ongoing and expected to end on March 27, 2023.
Speaking during the closing of the workshop in Nakuru on March 22, 2023 Deputy Director in charge of University Education in the Ministry of Education Mr. Charles Obiero, who represented the Principal Secretary Higher Education and Research Dr. Beatrice Muganda Inyangala, observed that the anticipated timelines would be achieved in readiness for the launch scheduled for May this year.
The Committee’s Chair Prof. Maritim advised the technical working teams which have been divided into eight groups each developing a module for specific programme of study, to ensure the modules being established for Open University of Kenya are relevant and represent societal needs since the university is envisaged to be accessible to many learners globally through open distance learning.
Prof. Maritim urged the team members to redouble their efforts to conclude the development of modules for the same to be forwarded to the next level which is reviewed by the Commission for University Education (CUE).
The open university of Kenya technical committee was established on January 10, 2023 and the university is expected to be launched in May this year. In 2022, the President directed the education review team to recommend criteria to implement an open university in Kenya.
The university will offer eight online courses, with phase one offering degree and diploma in cyber security and digital forensics, technology education, business and entrepreneurship, data science, economics, statistics, agriculture technology and food systems. It will also offer postgraduate diploma courses in leadership and accountability.
One of the initiatives of the government is to enhance access to affordable university education and the purpose of the Open University of Kenya is to make higher education inexpensive, affordable, accessible, inclusive and attainable to all by enabling some flexible entry criteria. OUK seeks to adopt competence based learning that will increase employability opportunities for the graduates.
While appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee on February 27, 2023 Dr. Inyangala clarified that the Open University of Kenya will provide opportunities for higher education to Kenyans who did not have a chance to get a university education, including those who dropped out of school.
She further added that the Open University will only be required to be jump-started before it picks and fund itself stating that they will We require some more money they develop the programme for the first three years but after that University will be self-sustaining.
The legislators had opposed its establishment and instead urged the government to give priority to solving financial challenges facing universities at the moment, a concern that the PS stated that the Open University is a stalled project which has been in books since it was conceptualized in 2010 with un-used allocation of Ksh 20 million for the past four years.
