Liberalization of higher education in Kenya: challenges and prospects

Abstract

Higher Education is the ultimate aim of every parent who has a child in secondary school today in Kenya. The social demand for this level of education appears to be insatiable. Efforts by the government to quantitatively expand higher education institutions and encourage private sector participation in provision of higher education in this country have failed to create the capacity to absorb all candidates who qualify. Institutions of higher learning have, in the last three decades, witnessed unprecedented growth unparalleled anywhere in the East Africa Region. The number of public universities increased significantly in the 1980s. In 1980 there was only one University but by 2010 Universities had increased to seven and fourteen University Colleges with a corresponding increase in student numbers. Private universities similarly experienced phenomenal growth from two in the early 1980s to over 20 by 2010. However, higher education is considered biased against certain socio-economic groups in society. The wells to do are always a step ahead of the poor and therefore, tend to disproportionately benefit from any quantitative expansion in higher education. There is need therefore, to explore other non-conventional, non-traditional approaches that will increase equity and access to higher education and contribute towards the realization of education for all those who qualify -a barrier free education. Open and Distance Education (OPDE) is such an option among others. This paper examines the challenges of traditional university set up to equalize opportunities for access to university education through quantitative expansion and explores the opportunities offered by other options of higher education provision including OPDE in an effort to make higher education available to all.