ARE OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMMES SUSTAINABLE?

Kenya heavily depends on its skilled human resource across all sectors of the economy to fast track the achievement of Vision 2030.  Time and time again we have cried foul over the shortage of skilled manpower, especially in the science based fields but have we critically looked at how we carry out capacity building in the country? Are our education programmes sustainable?

We talk of capacity building but I think it is important to lay down modalities that will ensure that we achieve sustainability, as we take into consideration current realities, needs and challenges, emerging issues and address the challenges we encounter on the way.

Of utter importance is to panel beat on what capacities are critical for our development and what thematic programmes and projects will help us attain the desired development results.  Capacity building initiatives must focus on imparting critical skills and capacity for relevance in a globalizing world, we therefore must be able to predict, adapt and respond to the volatile and ever-changing environment within which we live.

Sustainability will also require system-wide thinking where the main actors including the government, education institutions, industry and even the private sector come together and develop necessary strategies which have a long term perspective on capacity building for effectiveness, efficiency and sustain- able solutions.

Capacity building initiatives must be linked to national development priorities. Assessment needs must be done with a focus towards national and international aspirations. For example, Kenya is currently doing about only 6.2 PhD/ Million population, planning to do 24 PhD/Million in short term and about 100 PhD/Million by 2030. We must determine the areas that we need to focus on so that we fill in the gaps and get value for money.

It is important to mobilize, nurture and retain our human, institutional and financial resources for development and transformation locally, continentally and globally. The Government must increase its commitments in capacity building by assuring the necessary funding and strengthen requisite educational and research infrastructure, as well as extending a welcoming hand for the private sector players to come on board.  Developing countries must understand their domestic landscape and capacities and insist on home- grown solutions thus fostering self- reliance, wider ownership and accountability.

To assure quality programmes, we must  also focus on building capacity for capacity developers by equip- ping them with current pedagogical approaches, re-orient, retrain, and re-position them as they  develop others through continuous learning programmes and  staff exchanges. Knowledge sharing between institutions, regions and countries will enable experience sharing, lesson learning, and peer support on commendable practices.

WE MUST SAFEGUARD THE INTEGRITY OF RESEARCH

Development, growth and competitiveness in science are based on new ideas generated through research. The society constantly expects new ideas, inventions from the scientific and research community to improve their lives and lifestyles. Indeed many break-through innovations witnessed in information and communication technology, health and infrastructure sectors are the fruits of intense research work.

However, there are instances when misconduct occurs along the research chain due to a myriad of reasons, which have eroded public confidence in the ability of research to solve their challenges and its authority to inform policy formulation. Who is responsible for research integrity and how can the research community reinstate public confidence in research systems?

Ensuring research integrity is the responsibility of research funding institutions, specific institutions where the research is being done, the researchers and scientists as well as the society who inform the type of research and are sources of data and information.

Funding institutions are account- able to the public as well as private funds for resources they disburse for research and development and need to put measures to ensure integrity in the research they fund.   The Science, Technology and Innovations Act of 2013 mandates NACOSTI to evaluate research applications submitted to them for funding and if satisfied that the conduct of the research is beneficial to the country, and, that the research shall not adversely affect any aspect of the nature, environment or the security of the country, issue to the applicant a license.  A panel of experts at NACOSTI reviews the proposals, from researchers.

The law also  provides that   set standards, guidelines and codes are adhered to  in order  to ensure  and maintain standards and  ethics  in research  and  that  universities and research institutions avail all discoveries, inventions from their research work for public use. Ethics as a scientific culture needs to  be  inculcated in  the  researchers and  scientists  right  from  their student days and  universities and research  institutions must  step up training on  research  integrity  and good  ethical  practices  when  conducting research.  They must develop institution-based guidelines for research practices as well as establish research ethics committees within their research and development departments.

Effective supervision and mentorship will instill good practices and ethics in postgraduate students undertaking research as senior scientists walk with the students through their research work. Also, they must encourage critical peer-review of research work to assure quality, put up mechanisms to authenticate research results from their laboratories and working stations so that falsification and results manipulation can be detected.

ACADEMIA, PRIVATE SECTOR NEED SOME CHEMISTRY

The world has become global village that makes partnership vital to address the challenges of the society. More so, the governments have always seen private sector as a viable partner. One partnership that is still struggling and faces with challenges is that of university-industry linkages.  Recently Nairobi was the venue of academia–private sector partnership forum under the auspice of Inter University Council of Eastern Africa (IUCEA). 

I was among the panelists in round table discussion on the theme.

As I made my presentations and listened to  my  colleagues doing theirs  and  later the recommendation,  one  thing  was clear; there  is very little  innovation, as a lot has been  discussed. There is no doubt that the passion and desire on this issue and even how to address them was demonstrated by the eminent speakers.

However, implementation strategies and timelines still remain a challenge. Universities were encouraged to change the attitude of ‘publish or perish’ to innovate for development; engage policy makers more often, re- design university role from teaching, training research to community engagement. Private sector were asked to look at things we can produce and manufacture locally such as tooth- picks, nails  and  even bicycles and motorcycles. Above all we all reiterated the need for human resource capacity building survey to determine the needs in long term partnership to look at the horizon of at least 15 years; encourage more philanthropists and introduce tax incentives. The Government was reminded to take up its full responsibilities of social health and education as this is their business and   support private sector initiate projects.

Strong leadership

Participants emphasized that political will is paramount to develop indigenous private sector. All sounds familiar right?  There is a need to have a paradigm shift in this area. We must ask questions on why this marriage has not been so smooth. What needs to be done to cement it and strengthen the partnership? First we must have strong leadership from both sides, and partnership. Second, we should base our relationship on trust and stop the blame game. The academia has been accusing the private sector of sitting on the fence and doing  little  in supporting the academia, while the industries has been a urging that universities are producing half baked  students and having programmes that  do not  meet  the demands of the markets.

Academia-private sector linkages are important at providing the point of connection between knowledge and human resources produced by higher education institutions in the region on the one hand, and its application and dissemination by the private sector. The African knowledge technology partnerships model, for instance, leverages research, scientific knowledge and skills through innovation.