Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has challenged institutions of Higher Learning to always recruit skilled and experienced Professors to enhance the quality of education in the country.
Magoha said universities should also establish structured criteria that absorb Professors of high standards and who are of good repute.
“The University of Nairobi is the gold standard but for other universities to reach at that level they must have certain criteria that are fixed and transformative,” he said Friday during the University of Nairobi’s 63rd graduation ceremony which was conducted virtually.
“We now have Professors in certain universities when you challenge them in their areas of interest they have nothing to say,” he said, adding that as much as the majority of them have published their literally works, none has been quoted anywhere.
He noted that aged Professors who still have the ability to lecture should be highly considered, stressing that “age is just but a number whereas those that have aged and are stale should be relieved of their duties”.
“Age is just but a number because personally I am running like a turbocharged machine and when I am relieved of my job I will go back to teaching,” he said.
He added that “As we seek to resume learning, we should focus on addressing the key issues of quality of teaching and the challenges facing the students and lecturers as critical stakeholders in the implementation of e-learning”.
CS Magoha at the same time urged universities to embrace virtual graduation during this COVID-19 era noting that the use of technology is no longer an alternative.
“We may have delayed in reaching this realization, but we have made significant progress since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in March this year,” he said.
With the re-opening of schools now set in motion, Magoha said that education stakeholders have made progress and are only waiting for the date.
“I am happy to report that the stakeholders resolved to allow science-based students to return to their universities, especially those in the final year, to clear the way for them to complete studies,” he said.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has since ordered both primary and secondary school teachers to report back to learning institutions by September 28 ahead of the eventual reopening of schools.
TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said teachers are prepared to recover the time lost due to a nationwide coronavirus-triggered closure of schools in mid-March.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is on Monday expected to address the nation and announce measures his administration will be taking to re-open the economy and schools.