Empower learners to be independent Universities told

Empower learners to be independent  Universities told

Institutions of higher learning have been challenged to focus more on courses that will lead to more economically independent graduates.

Mount Kenya University founder and chairman, Prof Simon Gicharu, says the high rate of employment in the country can only be addressed if universities and colleges focus more on courses that teach learners how to set up start-ups and become successful entrepreneurs.

He noted that for Kenya to achieve Vision 2030, key education flagship programmes should focus on entrepreneurial skills.

Prof Gicharu said that the problem facing the education sector is that most courses taught at the universities are meant to help learners get good employment, saying this will not address the unemployment challenge.

Speaking in Windhoek, Namibia after being awarded a Honorary Professorship by the International University of Management (IUM) on Friday, September 30, in an occasion graced by Namibia Prime Minister, Dr Saara Kuugongelwa and Kenyan Ambassador to Windhoek, Samuel Njenga, Prof Gicharu said that Kenya has enough Universities that can produce highly competitive graduates if they focus more on empowering the learners.

“We need to focus more on producing graduates who can rely on themselves by starting businesses as well as develop innovative technologies but not focusing on teaching them how to get jobs,” he noted.

“Africa is the centre of focus globally and we should focus more on practical skills and not theoretical work. Let us put more effort on teaching our students on how best to invest.”

According to statistics from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics, the rate of unemployment among the youth stood at 64% in 2014, a figure that has been associated with the high rates of economic instability and unpredictability.

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