The University of Nairobi Chancellor Prof Patrick Verkooijen,
has called for complete policy transformation in order to return the premier
institution to its former glory.
Prof Verkooijen bemoaned the lack of sufficient teaching staff at the university as one of the
reasons the institution’s teaching standards have dropped to what he described
as a historic low.
“Before I close, I want to acknowledge, it’s not all beds of
roses at the University of Nairobi,” he stated in his closing remarks during
the launch of UoN’s Silicon Savannah Innovation Park at State House, Nairobi,
on Monday.
In attendance were President William Ruto, Education CS
Julius Ogamba and officials from France, the sponsor of the Silicon project.
“Like all public universities, the whole institution was
paralysed by a staff strike in the last few weeks and thanks to you Education
CS for having managed to resolve this crisis over the weekend.
“However, we at UoN we fell this year for the first time ever
to the lowest level of World University Rankings. We are at a turning point,” Prof
Verkooijen said.
Despite the negative review, Prof Verkooijen said he is
confident that the University of Nairobi has the capacity to turnaround its
misfortunes and bounce back to being a global academic giant, a reputation it
has been associated with over the years.
“I’m absolutely convinced as Chancellor of this university
that our university cannot only be the greatest university in East Africa but
the greatest in Africa and one of the greatest in the world,” he said.
“But for that, I don’t just want the staff to be probably paid as they should, to get where we need to go, we will need far more staff to increase our teacher-student ratios,” he added.
Prof Verkooijen said the University of Nairobi is sitting on
a wealth of human resource given its large pool of intelligent students and lecturers pursuing higher education in varied fields.
He challenged the government to invest in this pool of young
minds, which would in turn provide a steady supply of lecturers to be absorbed
at the university.
“We need far more PhDs both for staff and students among
many other things. Mr President as you know, for the record, I’ve taken on this
unpaid role to find an indebted organization running deeper and deeper deficits
year-on-year,” Prof Verkooijen said.
“Which means on the flip side, we need a complete
transformation to get the UoN back on track. We sit on incredible wealth of
staff, the best students, not just in the nation – on the continent.
He said this enormous human resource coupled with
partnerships like the one that has birth the Silicon Innovation Park would
catapult the UoN back to its lost glory.
Prof Verkooijen said if this initiative is replicated across
all universities in the country, higher education has the potential to make
Kenyan youth unstoppable.
“Silicon Savannah Innovation Park can make the nation digital economy unstoppable, and with that, this great nation Kenya will be unstoppable."
Ruto described the Silicon Savannah Innovation Park as a transformative initiative that positions Kenya as a global hub for technology and innovation.
He said the €35 million (Sh4.7 billion) investment by the government of France stands out as a good example of visionary international partnerships, and one that aligns with the government's digital jobs agenda to combat unemployment, equip youth with the right skills and drive inclusive economic growth.
