Northern Kenya University(NORKU) Initiative
Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:14 Written by gcgbox Sunday, 27 December 2009 12:41
NORKU Initiative;
"UNITED FOR SUCCESS"
Establishing an Academic Culture in Northern Kenya
Northern Kenya University Initiative, dabbed, the NORKU initiative is strategic initiative designed for the planning, construction and final implementation of a University in Northern Kenya. The initiative is purely voluntary and extends an invitation to all stake holders, volunteers, donors, governments and people of goodwill to Unite for the success of the initiative and creation of the first University in Northern Kenya. NORKU initiative is sponsored by Generation for Change and Growth (www.thegcg.org)
North Eastern Kenya, formerly known as Northern Frontier Districts (NFD) is Kenya's third largest region. Add Turkana, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale Districts - It is by far the largest region in the entire country, all together referred to as Northern Kenya. The region is the least developed part of Kenya. For several decades, the media and concerned public raised concerns about the dire situation in the region. It is, however, deeply disturbing that the development of the region remains the least in the government's agenda, if at all listed. By development, we refer to structural, human and other economic and productivity factors.
Although Kenya as a country has realized significant growth in education, health care and commerce since independence, growth in Northern region can only be argued in the realms of human population. In fact, in many areas, there is retrograde development which means its worse today than it was pre-independence.
For instance, the Education sector has had a long and bumpy history with little or no valuable gains. By universal consensus, Education is an investment with guaranteed result. The prove is at our doorstep. In Kenya, almost all high and middle income earners are from regions of high education index. Overall, the Contribution of Northern Kenya to the country's Productive workforce is almost negiligent due to lack of ability to compete in Education. Literacy rate is estimated at 8.5% - compare that to Central province wich has literacy rate well above 90%.
Education, therefore, creates the human capital needed to spur growth and development in a society. Without education, the realization of Human capital which is the recipe for social, political and economic growth is remotely possible.
By United Nations definition, education is the most important ingredient of wellbeing and is used in the measure of economic development and quality of life, which is a key factor determining whether a country is a developed, developing or undeveloped country.
Although there are numerous primary and secondary schools and more recently awash with private schools, Northern Kenya has nothing of semblance to tertiary educational institution. Even within primary and secondary schools, private or public, performance of students in Northern Kenya has consistently been dismal at its best. Theories attempting to explain the poor academic performance are weather related hardships, lifestyle of the community (pastoral communities), lack of resources and the list is long depending on who you talk to. At the very elemental level, the answer is poor educational resources.
Evidently, many students whose performance was dismal at high school when accepted to college or university, show stellar performance in some cases surpassing their peers. This is a fact collectively agreed and cited over and over. For those who are not fortunate to secure a place in College or university in other parts of the country, who consist of over 90% of all secondary school graduates, their plight is never addressed. They join the masses dejected and the path to their career dreams permanently sealed. It is then reasonable that Human capital defined along the lines of education is remotely evident in this part of Kenya - a clear indication of the staggering development gap.
Northern Kenya covers over 25% of Kenya's land mass with a population of over 2 million. Each year, secondary schools in Northern Kenya graduate over 4000 students. The public Universities absorb less than 5% of the total secondary school graduates. That is only those who attain grades above cut-off admission point. The rest are left out. For nearly half a century of independence, after the Europeans asked Kenyans to manage their own affairs, the region does not still have a tertiary educational institution, depriving million young minds the opportunity to pursue their dreams or worse still holding them in the traps of poverty. In this day and age, it is preposterous to imagine any part of Kenya, vast and wide as the Northern region, will be without tertiary education. Somehow, tertiary education for this region does not feature in the government's agenda, year after year.
The government may have plans and made promises, short or long-term, to establish a college or University in order to give these children the opportunities they rightly deserve in education. These are empty plans and promises and remained so since independence invariably preparing young people live in perpetual poverty, which cycles from generation to generation. This reason specifically is responsible for the economic and growth disparities in Kenya today and the mediocre the Northern region is. An elaborate example is in the lives of the few who obtained college/university education and the majority who did not both of which come from the same region.
The people and the region of Northern Kenya can only develop and compete in this ever challenging world through the establishment of its own tertiary educational institution such as a University or College.
The NORKU initiative was launched to specifically address, through strategic means, the problem of lack of tertiary educational opportunities in Northern Kenya.
At this time, feasibility studies point at Wajir Town as the likely host of the first University, NORKU, in the region. Land allocation is already in progress. The Acquisition of about 50 acre land is currently on the table for discussion between the County council of Wajir and NORKU planning committee.
Key to the success of this project/Initiative is funding. The initiative is asking varied sources for sponsorship and support including but not limited to local and/or international Donors, Community support, philanthropic support, Universities and Colleges and Governments.
Through this Initiative, we hope, everyone in the region will have a chance to pursue higher education and the opportunity to succeed -That will in the long-term change the community and the region for the better. The initiative will pay a special attention to gender issues and disparities through out the process of this project.
At this stage of planning, NORKU is looking for professionals and academics to join the various committees. Some of the committees in place and needing members are;
1. Board of Directors (9)
2. Planning and Research Committee (5)
3. Fund Raising Committee (5)
Implementation of NORKU University;
An establishment of Academic Culture in Northern Kenya
The first cycle of strategic actions is designed for the development of academic and residential facilities and concurrent design and development of curriculum across all disciplines and degree programs. These programs will be reflecting our long term commitment; Equipping students for extraordinary lives and building skilled based society. We anticipate the first phase to take up to 5 years. Strategic initiatives for the first phase are described below:
· Year 1-2; Acquisition of Land, Concept and architectural Planing, Fundraising, Committee establishments, Certifications and Licensing requirement
· Years 1- 3:
Systemic development of Academic facilities (Lecture rooms/theaters, offices etc.) and Residential buildings (hostels).
· Years 3-5:
1. Design and development of the new curriculum across all disciplines and degree programs – Diplomas, Bachelor, Certificates etc.
2. Upgrades and finishes of on going facilities development.
3. Establishment and recruitment of teaching and support staff.
· Years 5 and beyond:
1. Establish Admissions department, Academic Deans, enrollment and marketing staff, and ad hoc outside professionals.
2. Reorganize the University into three main educational operating units,
the Undergraduate College-the Graduate College-and the Advanced Placement Academy
3. Establish the Graduate Program Council. The council of scholars identifies, proposes and develops graduate programs meeting demands for graduate level education in specific disciplines and societal needs in the coming years.
4. Appointment of council of Scholars. The NORKU Council of Scholars will ultimately comprise up to 6 scholars with endowed chairs (rotating or reappointed on a five-year term).
These and regionally acclaimed educational and intellectual leaders will hold the most prestigious and active positions in the University's faculty. The endowed chairs will not be permanently appointed in order to enable all faculty members the opportunity to aspire to and achieve appointment to a chair if an individuals leadership and scholarship reach the appropriate level. Each Scholar will be responsible for the design and development of a collaborative research and learning program within a selected department of Learning in which she/he is a recognized leader. An endowed fund will support all such program, including start-up fund for a program, research and professional development support for its leading NORKU Scholar and collaborative faculty scholars, and, in the long-term NORKU Student Scholars who will also be supported by endowed scholarships.
· The Departments listed below are included to illustrate the types of programs that could exist as part of the short and long-term planning and are not meant to exclude other studies that could result from faculty-student-donor discussions and interest.
o Natural & Health Science
o Women's Leadership in Business, Finance and Commerce
o Engineering Science
o Education throughout life
o The Humanities and Arts
o Language and Communications
o International Studies, Public Policy and Global Understanding
o Financial, Scientific, Economic, and Technological Literacy
As we continue into years 6 through 15, numerous other strategies will be implemented and designed to achieve our long-term goal in 2025: NORKU University will be a nationally recognized, regional leader in higher education. The specific strategies for the implementation of our long-term plan will be included in the document, "NORKU 2025: Strategic Action Plan."
