Streamlining Blended Learning in Higher Education in Kenya: Analysis of Selected Policy Documents

Background

Kenya’s higher education sector has grown extensively for the last 30 years. Currently, there are 77 universities in Kenya - 41 public and 36 private (Commission for University Education, 2022). The first notable period of major growth in the higher education sector was in the early 1990s when multiple private universities received their charters. At the time, private universities were instrumental in taking in high school graduates who could not join state-funded institutions because of the high cut-off admission marks that were pegged on accommodation space (Ndegwa, 2008). Other learners opted to join private universities to enjoy uninterrupted study by avoiding the constant closures of public universities which were linked to frequent student unrest (Ndegwa, 2008). The other period of growth in higher education was in the early 2000s when public universities introduced the “parallel programme” also referred to as module 11(two) (Ndegwa, 2008). One of the major reasons that led to the establishment of the parallel program was the need for public universities to supplement state funding. Another expansion of higher education would occur several years later when the government set up more public universities to satisfy communities that viewed the launch of an institution of higher learning in their counties or towns as a landmark of development. In addition, the existing public universities set up campuses in various towns. Public universities’ reliance on tuition fees for funding has been described as a form of commodification of knowledge and “marketisation of universities” (The Conversation, 2019).

In recent years, Kenyan universities have faced several challenges. One of the challenges has been a decline in the number of form four leavers transitioning to universities. This was occasioned by reforms in the education sector that saw a reduction in the number of form four candidates getting the grades required for university admission (Kenya Education Network, n.d.). Another challenge has been the recent efforts by government to promote Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges with a view to increasing the number of skill-based graduates. In the last few years, some four form graduates have opted to join TVET colleges despite qualifying for university admission. In 2021, 15,547 candidates who scored a C+ and above in the Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE) exams declined to take up university education and decided to join TVET colleges (Igadwah, 2021). At the same time, universities are making efforts to review their courses to ensure that learners acquire skills that will make them competitive in the job market. As universities think of ways to make their courses more skill-based, they are required to examine strategies of integrating pedagogical techniques that are critical for teaching the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). Kenyan universities are expected to receive the first batch of CBC learners in 2029 (Nyamai, 2022).

The most recent challenge in the higher education sector was the Covid-19 pandemic which saw universities forced to adopt innovative teaching methods to survive during the long lockdowns. Kenyan universities, the government and other governing bodies had to find solutions to the education challenges caused by the pandemic (Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies, 2021). This chapter examines the policy documents that have been used to streamline blended learning in universities in Kenya.