Some leaders, parents, and their children have expressed reservations over the manner in which universities frustrate them on examinations records which force then to remain at the institutions longer than usual.
Kirinyaga Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri and the Nyeri County Speaker John Kagucia said it was immoral for certain lecturers to frustrate students by irregularly misplacing their examination results.
“Constantly withholding examination results for some students or misplacing such documents which results in students being forced to stay at the university longer than usual is not only immoral but unprofessional as it compels parents to continue paying unnecessary fees year in year out,” said Ndambiri.
Speaking yesterday, during celebrations for his daughter Silvia Mukami, who graduated last week with a Law degree from Kenyatta University at his Kanjinji rural home, Ndambiri urged the government to establish a body which will be supervising the manner in which examinations were being conducted
“Unless the universities streamline the manner in which examinations are administered, marked and the results well kept, then the government should urgently establish a supervisory body to ensure students were not frustrated by some unscrupulous lecturers,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Kagucia who said he was aware of many students who had stayed longer than the stipulated four years at the university due to improper storage of examination records or intentional and deliberate frustrations by some lecturers.
“When such anomalies occur at some of our universities, both students and parents end up being frustrated, exploited and helpless since they remain ‘imprisoned’ financially and psychologically for as long as the institutions deem fit,” he said.
The Speaker said it was unfortunate that Mukami had to remain at the university for ten years due to neither her fault nor that of her parents who tirelessly continued to pay for tuition fee all through the period.
Kagucia however said despite the frustrations Mukami faced, she did not lose focus until her graduation day last week as she now prepares to join the Kenya School of Law for her post graduate diploma studies.
By Irungu Mwangi
