The Status of Student Involvement in University Governance in Kenya

N. Arasa, M. Mulinge

Description

This book examines the concept of the democratization of governance in universities in Kenya with particular emphasis on students involvement in governance processes and decision making. Data were collected from members of the student community utilizing a structured self-administered questionnaire and from purposively selected key informants and focus group discussants drawn from Kenyatta University (representing the public sector) and the United States International University (representing the private sector). The guiding argument for the study was that shared governance, one of the principles of good governance, is critical in enabling the universities to deliver their visions and the missions effectively. The results revealed that while in principle, Kenyan universities have embraced democratic governance in which all stakeholders, including students, have a role to play, in practice they continue to violate the core principles of good governance, particularly shared governance. Specifically, students, who are major stakeholders in university education, are largely excluded from significant structures of governance thereby limiting their influence and participation. Although their representation is mainly provided via student self-governance organs (unions, associations and/or councils), their effectiveness is undermined considerably by the lack of trust and confidencec of the student body and the unending manipulation by top university administrators and external political actors. Student active involvement in decision making is mainly confined to lower levels such as the school/faculty and departmental/programme. The authors call for a paradigm shift in the involvement of students in the governance of universities in ways that discourage the current culture of tokenism and political correctness that characterizes public and private universities in Kenya.

Sujets

• Éducation
• Education

Informations

• Publié par: CODESRIA
• Date de parution: 05 mai 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9782869787292
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

The Status of Student Involvement in University Governance in Kenya

This book is a product of the CODESRIA Higher Education Leadership Programme

The Status of Student Involvement in University Governance in Kenya

The Case of Public and Private Universities

Munyae M. Mulinge Josephine N. Arasa Violet Wawire

Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa DAKAR

©CODESRIA 2017 Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop, Angle Canal IV BP 3304 Dakar, 18524, Senegal Website : www.codesria.org ISBN : 9782869787148 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission from CODESRIA.

Typesetting: Alpha Ousmane Dia Cover Design: Ibrahima Fofana

Distributed in Africa by CODESRIA Distributed elsewhere by African Books Collective, Oxford, UK Website: www.africanbookscollective.com

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is an independent organisation whose principal objectives are to facilitate research, promote researchbased publishing and create multiple forums geared towards the exchange of views and information among African researchers. All these are aimed at reducing the fragmentation of research in the continent through the creation of thematic research networks that cut across linguistic and regional boundaries.

CODESRIA publishesAfrica Development, the longest standing Africa based social science journal;Afrika Zamani, a journal of history; theAfrican Sociological Review; the African Journal of International Affairs;Africa Review of Booksand theJournal of Higher Education in Africa. The Council also copublishes theAfrica Media Review;Identity, Culture and Politics: An AfroAsian Dialogue;The African Anthropologist, Journal of African Tranformation, Method(e)s: African Review of Social Sciences Methodology, and theAfro Arab Selections for Social Sciences. The results of its research and other activities are also disseminated through its Working Paper Series, Green Book Series, Monograph Series, Book Series, Policy Briefs and the CODESRIA Bulletin. Select CODESRIA publications are also accessible online at www.codesria.org.

CODESRIA would like to express its gratitude to the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Danish Agency for International Development (DANIDA), the Rockefeller Foundation, the Open Society Foundations (OSFs), TrustAfrica, UNESCO, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the Government of Senegal for supporting its research, training and publication programmes.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgementsvii ...................................................................................................................................................................... List of Abbreviationsix ................................................................................................................................................................... List of Tablesxiii .................................................................................................................................................................................... Authorsxv ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... Prefacexvii ................................................................................................................................................................................................... Forewordxix ..............................................................................................................................................................................................

1.

2.

3.

Introduction1 ................................................................................................................................................................... Background to the Study 1 ................................................................................................................................... The Research Problem 6 .......................................................................................................................................... Objectives of the Study 7 ........................................................................................................................................ Justification of the Study 8 ................................................................................................................................................. The Structuring of the Study 9 ........................................................................................................................

The Growth of University Education in Kenya11 ........................................................... Origins and Growth of University Education in Kenya 12 ............................................... Factors Responsible for the Growth of University Education in Kenya 20 ............. The Quality of University Education in Kenya 23 .....................................................................

The Governance of Higher Education37 ..................................................................................... The Concept of (Good) Governance 37 .............................................................................................. Governance in University Education 43 .............................................................................................. Students’ Involvement in University Governance 53 ............................................................ Relationship between University and Student Leaderships 64 ................................... The Governance of University Education in Kenya 65 ...................................................... Research Issues 70 ........................................................................................................................................................... Theoretical Framework 73 ....................................................................................................................................

vi

4.

5.

6.

The Status of Student Involvement in University Governance in Kenya

Research Design and Methodology79 ............................................................................................. Research Design 79 ....................................................................................................................................................... The Sites of the Study 80 ....................................................................................................................................... Sample Size and Sampling Design 86 ..................................................................................................... Data Collection Techniques 89 ....................................................................................................................... Data Management and Analysis 91 ........................................................................................................... Ethical Considerations 92 ..................................................................................................................................... Limitations of the Study 92 ................................................................................................................................

Findings95 ........................................................................................................................................................................... Respondents’ SocioDemographic Characteristics 95 .......................................................... Mainstreaming of Involvement in Governance in Policy Documents, Governance Structures and Practices 96 ............................................................................................... Importance Students Attach to Involvement in University Governance 100 ................................................................................................................................................................ Extent, Adequacy of and Satisfaction with Involvement in Governance 106 ........ Incentives for Enhancing Students’ Involvement in Governance 121 ............................. Level of Influence of National Politics on Student Selfgovernance Processes 123 ...................................................................................................................................................................... Impediments to Effective Students’ Participation in Governance 125 ............. Testing for CrossUniversity Differences 130 ................................................................................

Summary, Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations139 ................. Summary of Findings 139 .................................................................................................................................... Discussion of Findings 146 ................................................................................................................................. Conclusions 160 ............................................................................................................................................................... Recommendations 162 .............................................................................................................................................

References165 .......................................................................................................................................................................................... Appendices179 ....................................................................................................................................................................................... Index215 .....................................................................................................................................................................................................

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the contribution of the many individuals, groups and organizations/ institutions that were involved in one way or another in the completion of this study. First, we are indebted to the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) not just for funding the research that led to the authoring of this book, but also for organizing, funding and facilitating the review workshops that helped sharpen the quality of the final product. The study was funded through CODESRIA’s National Working Groups Programme themed Leadership in Higher Education in Africa. Further, we immensely acknowledge the two universities that provided the sites for this study; Kenyatta University (KU) and the United States International University Africa (USIU). In particular, we wish to thank the management of the two institutions for permitting us to conduct the study and for allowing us to access records and documents required for the study as well as to use selected administrators, student leaders and the general student body as respondents. Still within the context of the two institutions, our special tribute goes to the individuals – administrators (e.g., Deputy Vice Chancellor and Deans of Students), student leaders and students – who served as the respondents for this study. To all of you we say: thank you very much for finding the time to sit and chat with us despite your obviously busy schedules. No amount of words can express our sincere gratitude to all of you. It is the invaluable information that we gathered from you and from existing records in your institutions that made it possible for us to author this book. Many thanks are owed to the individuals who served as research assistants during the data collection stages of this study. Your efforts and especially the diligence with which you executed your roles and responsibilities are highly appreciated. To all of you, we will be eternally grateful. Also meriting mention here is the USIUAfrica research office which assisted with the analysis of the quantitative data utilized for the study. In this regard, we wish to single out Mr. Paul Ruto for his invaluable assistance. We expressly thank our fellow grantees (researchers), the anonymous reviewers of our work, and our academic colleagues in our respective universities. Their criticisms and invaluable suggestions contributed immensely in enhancing the quality of this book. Individually, our special and sincere appreciation goes to our families for their unwavering support and understanding. Their patience, empathy, reassurance and, in some cases, periodic critique of the work in progress contributed immensely to the completion of this work.

AAU AIU AGM AKU ANU AUA BWI CHE CODESRIA CORD CU CUE CUEA DBA DKUT EMOD EU FGDs GEMBA GLUK GOK HELB IAU ILO ILU IMF IUCEA JKUAT JOOUST KABU

List of Abbreviations

Africa Association of Universities African International University Annual General Meeting Aga Khan University Africa Nazarene University Adventist University of Africa Bretton Woods Institutions Council on Higher Education Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa Coalition for Reform and Democracy Chuka University Commission of University Education Catholic University of Eastern Africa Doctor of Business Administration Dedan Kimathi University of Technology Executive Master of Science in Organizational Development Egerton University Focus Group Discussions Global Executive Master of Business Administration Great Lakes University of Kisumu Government of Kenya Higher Education Loans Board International Association of Universities International Labour Organization International Leadership University International Monetary Fund InterUniversity Council for East Africa Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology Kabarak University