While officially opening the workshop, MMUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Solomon Shibairo applauded the team that organised the workshop led by the Dean, Eng. Prof. Bernadette Sabuni. He said that our curriculum should be anchored on Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), the African Union Agenda 2063, the Kenya Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “As a University of Science and Technology, Engineering is our backbone and therefore we need to make it shine to the world to attract more students globally. Engineering was the dream behind the establishment of Western College (WECO),” said Prof. Shibairo.
DVC ASA, Prof. Hussein Golicha stresses a point at the workshop
The Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic and Student Affairs (DVC ASA) Prof. Hussein Golicha said that it was through curriculum review to match the current technology that the USA was able to have the first man on the moon. He further said that Japan is currently ahead of the continent because of their curriculum.\
Prof. Golicha stated that just like CBC, Universities should teach courses that are aimed at solving societal problems and not just passing exams. “We have to go beyond the mechanics of examinations. For this to happen, we need a good curriculum that gives us direction,” stated Prof. Golicha. He further said that through curriculum review, students will be trained in tandem with the technology and market demands, to enable them to have hands-on skills.
Prof. Basil Ong’or, Dr. Dennis Ochieno and Director TVET County Government of Kakamega, Dr. Chrispinus Wamalwa
The invited speaker, Dr. Chrispinus Wamalwa, who is the Kakamega County Director of Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET) exuded confidence that with proper curriculum review at the Engineering sector, most of the problems affecting some parts of the world will easily be solved. He further said that our training of Engineers should be able to put them where the technology belongs. According to Dr. Wamalwa, students need to get industrial attachments in the right organizations to attain proper skills. Proper skills are supposed to be inculcated into the students. He said that technology education is at a stage in Kenya, which makes it vital for curriculum review to make our courses go in line with the technological requirements.
The Dean SEBE, Eng. Prof. Sabuni, stated that time was ripe for the School of Engineering and Built Environment to review its curriculum to match the fast moving market demands. “We are optimistic that at the end of this workshop, we have reviewed programs that will improve our standards to greater heights,” said Prof. Sabuni
There has been a mismatch between the industry demands and what the fresh graduates present during job search. This has resulted in many graduates opting for other careers unrelated to what they studied at the University level. Technological dynamism is a major factor contributing to this. The industry is dynamic with innovations coming at a very fast rate. There is therefore a need that higher institutions of learning stay on high alert and train students to match the technology.
