Abstract:
Faced with the complex challenge of meeting rising demand in the face of declining
government funding since the late 1980s, public universities in Kenya have had
to seek alternative income-generating activities, as well as innovative and flexible
programming. Among the reforms implemented in Kenyan public universities,
beginning in 1998, to address these challenges, were the Module II degree programs,
popularly known as the parallel degree programs, which exist alongside the “regular”
or Module I degree programs. Students choosing the parallel module II program are
self-sponsored as opposed to students in the module I program who are either fully
or partially supported through some form of government funding. Tuition fees for
students in the two Modules differ considerably; with those in the parallel module II
paying much higher fees which are comparable to those charged by private universities.
While these programs are increasingly popular and may actually be opening up
access to higher education, and while they are undoubtedly profitable, their overall
impact with regard to addressing the broader goals of social cohesion and redressing
historical socio economic imbalances need to be interrogated. Also, despite the
increasing student enrolments, the universities have neither provided modern teaching
and learning resources nor upgraded facilities and infrastructure at the universities.
Additionally, the high student numbers have resulted in heavy teaching loads while
professional development opportunities for faculty have remained very limited.
The desirability and sustainability of these programs within the overall project of
university education in Kenya are issues that need to be critically interrogated.
In this chapter, we trace the development of module II programs in the Kenyan
university education landscape and critically examine their rationale, strengths, and
drawbacks. Ultimately, we engage a discussion on the suitability and sustainability
of neoliberal approaches to the provision of public university education in Kenya.
