KCA University Vice chancellor (VC) Prof. Isaiah Wakindiki has raised concern over the increased delays by postgraduate students in the country to complete their studies at the stipulated time.
He said the delays and sometimes dropping out of the courses, negatively impacts on the student’s finances as well as human resource manpower needed to accelerate growth in the country.
Speaking when he hosted more than 250 postgraduate students yesterday, Prof Wakindiki said offering mentorship programmes, guidance and providing a conducive learning environment to the learners are necessary to address this challenge.
“If a post graduate course takes two years to be completed, there is no need for students to defer or go past the three or four year due to various constraints. Universities should craft support mechanisms to help the students complete their studies on time,” he said.
Recent data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show that post-graduate degree holders comprise less than 3.5% of the total Kenyan population.
Another study by the Commission for Universities Education (CUE) shows that only 30 percent of students enrolled in Postgraduate studies in Kenya complete their degrees within the stipulated time frame.
The VC attributed this staggering in the completion rate to financial constraints, unfavorable study models and program mismatch.
“Universities need to have academic staff that resonate with the students. They need to help the students in their thesis and research work. On financing, they should connect the students with funding opportunities such as grants and fellowships,” he said.
He at the same time called on the students to choose a study model that would favour their schedules to be able to complete their studies within the stipulated time frame.
He said some scholars find it overwhelming to jungle between work, studies, and personal life.
“Make good choices on the courses to enroll in and the institution to take your course from. This will reduce some of the burdens in your study journey,” he said.
By Muoki Charles
