Mount Kenya University has waived school fees for more than 4,000 students, amounting to Sh80 million.

The university Chairman Simon Gicharu said the beneficiaries are those who were allowed to learn during the Covid-19 pandemic, then graduated but have never collected their certificates due to lack of money.

"The issue of uncollected certificates was worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to announce the waiver of all these fines. We have written off the Sh80 million, and all the past students can now come and collect their certificates without having to pay a cent," said Gicharu, who is also the university founder. 

Gicharu made the remarks during the university's 23rd graduation ceremony in Thika yesterday.

He said the university would embrace education reforms, adding that the overhaul touches on increased productivity in research and innovation, improvement in university international rankings, exemption of university scholarly research and innovation levies. 

The reforms are contained in the report by a task force led by Prof Raphael Munavu, which was presented to President William Ruto on Tuesday. The report contains a raft of recommendations aimed at reforming the education system from pre-primary to tertiary levels.

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One of the key recommendations is the introduction of a programme modelled on the National Youth Service pre-university, a programme that collapsed in the 1980s.

The proposed programme will introduce a mandatory three-month community service for senior school graduates and a further nine-month community service upon completion of tertiary education, with the aim of embedding community-based learning. 

Additionally, universities will be required to develop one-year retraining programmes for teachers in preparation for competency-based teacher education programmes.

During the graduation, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Law, for being a seasoned international criminal law and human rights lawyer, his community outreach, and his efforts in the fight against terrorism. 

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, who was the chief guest, allayed fear that private institutions will be affected by the education reforms. By Gitau Wanyoike , The Standard

The 173,000 candidates who sat the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination and were eligible to join the university have a new lifeline as they can now choose to pursue IT-related degree programmes from the newly launched the Open University of Kenya.

President William Ruto announced that the cost of the six pioneer programmes at the new university will cost half the fees charged in other public universities. 

The six undergraduate degree programmes include a Bachelor of Cyber security and digital forensics, Bachelor of data science, Bachelor of Technology Education, Bachelor of Science in business and Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Economics and Statistics, and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Food security.

The university will also offer two graduate degrees in leadership and accountability and learning design and teaching. The Open University is now the 42nd public university in the country and will admit its first cohort in September.

Create opportunities

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu lauded the university noting it will create opportunities to build on human capital.  

“This is a new chapter in access to higher education opportunities by leveraging technology.  This university will promote access to higher education for many men and women who could otherwise have dropped out.

“They will now be able to access higher education conveniently and at an affordable cost,” Machogu said.

The CS termed the institution an important milestone in ensuring that Kenya has opportunities to build human capital.

Dr Ruto instructed the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to include the institution as an option for placement in the 2023/24 cycle.

This means that more than 140,000 students who were placed in public and private universities will have a chance to switch their universities and course upon admission in September when the placement body opens the inter-university transfer.

The directive also gives a lifeline to the 23,000 candidates that qualified for university but did not choose to pursue any degree or diploma course in this year’s placement cycle to universities and colleges.

The institution will give students the opportunity to pursue the eight courses virtually.  By Lewis Nyaundi, The Standard

Since the beginning of 2023, traumatising stories about loss of lives from road accidents, murder, Shakahola massacre, and now public demonstrations have filled Kenyan media space. Hardly a day passes without harrowing stories being aired in the media. While members of the public sometimes get overwhelmed by the depressing news and may choose to withdraw from consuming such content, journalists have to bear the brunt of traumatic experiences to keep the public informed.

By the time a single traumatic story goes on air, a good number of journalists including reporters, camera crews, producers and editors are staring in the face of emotional and psychological burnout.

Reporters and camera crews spend all their energy sometimes on graphic material as they get the raw content from far afield. They directly encounter scary, horrific, traumatising, and life-threatening scenes, which can culminate in stress and depression. 

Journalists spent time with patients and in hospitals covering stories on Covid-19, risking their lives almost during the entire pandemic period to keep the public informed. A study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the University of Toronto showed that around 70 per cent of journalists who covered the pandemic suffered from psychological stress.Recently, we witnessed how Kenyan journalists’ lives are endangered while covering public demonstrations.

Journalists on official duty have been battered and injured while others have lost their valuable work equipment. They have also witnessed brutal attacks and murder of citizens during the demonstrations. These experiences together with the pressures of life expose journalists to stress, depression, and sleep disorders, which may lead to poor mental health if not properly managed. 

In sub-Saharan Africa, where many people are inflicted by human suffering from hunger, war, political violence, crime, and massive loss of lives, journalists, as first responders, are exposed to panic, anxiety, fatigue, stress, hostility, harassment and brutality from law enforcement agencies. A study in 2022 revealed that many journalists in the region have experienced mental disorders unknowingly.

Globally, journalists encounter soaring upsetting incidences from terror attacks, war, civil unrest, and natural calamities such as floods and hunger, all with far-reaching psychological effects. As first responders to these calamities, journalists more than ever before need mental support care. By Marren Akong’o, The Standard