Public universities will find it difficult to constitute their governing councils following a directive that those holding jobs in the public service should not be appointed to boards of parastatals.
Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua said the directive is meant to ensure individuals are not pocketing double salaries — as public servants and members of boards of public agencies.
Yet most council chairmen are also lecturers in public universities while others, including some council members have other public jobs.
The crisis has also hit the Commission for University Education (CUE) as several commissioners, led by the chairman, Prof Henry Thairu, are set to relinquish their positions since they hold other public offices.
This is complicated further by a fresh requirement that one must posses a doctorate degree to qualify as a university council chairman.
CUE says Kenya does not have enough PhD holders and those enrolling for doctorate degrees are also few.
That more than half of the 10,350 lecturers don’t have PhDs. Only 4,394 students (one per cent) of all learners are enrolled for doctoral degrees.
“It will be hard to get a full PhD holder willing to be chairman of a university council which meets on a quarterly basis,” said a university council member who declined to be named. Kenya has 31 public universities.
DEADLINE IN PLACE
This also makes it hard to implement new guidelines requiring universities to only hire PhD holders as lecturers. The rule takes effect in 2018.
Last month, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i nullified councils of all universities and directed that new ones be constituted.
The Universities Act provides the council of a university or constituent college should consist of nine members appointed by the CS, including the chairperson and representatives of Education and Finance principal secretaries.
The CS should also appoint five members through a competitive process. The vice-chancellor or principal serves as an ex officio member.
A university council employs staff, approves statutes, policies and the budget of the university.
CUE Chief Executive David Some said the November 2018 deadline for universities to have only PhD holders as lecturers still stands.
The government is hoping to produce at least 1,000 PhD holders annually but no much headway has been made.
Source:Daily Nation:Crisis in varsities as council bosses to go
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