Who’s to blame for the half- baked graduates?

An article that was published in the Daily Nation last Tuesday, in the Smart Company pullout, was titled, ‘Who’s to blame for the half- baked graduates? Some readers offered these suggestions:

Guru Mwangi- If intellectual hunger means an absentee lecturer dishing out handouts, then what is the essence of coming to campus? We should stay at home; the lecturers to send us the handouts and we (students) read on our own. Intellectual hunger comes about because one feels inspired to be part of that team that advances knowledge but who is there to inspire the undergraduates? Majority of students in campus really try to achieve excellence but without proper guidance, they can only go so far. Many times it is not lecturers but largely the university administrations with their 'analogue' bureaucracy are to blame for half baked graduates. Students are not receiving value for their money which is hardly a surprise: the university administrations are busy searching for property to acquire to expand the reach of education to all.

True research is an exception rather than the rule. Half-baked graduates are a result of a systemic rot. It does not however mean that all students are guided by vision and determination. On the contrary, we have university students who have absolutely no sense of academic direction. But like I said, the university

students need inspiration, and that can only come from a system characterized by enthusiastic lecturers, visionary but realistic administrations, transparent and accountable management of time and financial resources, integration of the practicing corporate and government professionals in student welfare development and above all; informed guidance to Form Four graduates by university career guidance departments.

James Njoroge- If you get a chance to study abroad, do it and you’ll get your eyes more open, how different the educations systems are. Kenyan Educations system is just too politicized and not objective to creating a strong workforce for the nation. If we want to stay competitive to other nations then we have train out students for the future of our nations, but not to create teaching positions just for political will.

Joseph Ganga- Old lecturers’ practice must stop and new practices be made part of this job. They must continually update their notes and research work, to be in tandem with what is happening in the rest of the world.

John Mash- Modulation of results to fit 'normal' curve demotivates public university student. How does a student feel scoring 78 per cent in provisional results but is later graded 'C' in final results? This is unfair and immoral.

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