Andrea Bohnstedt writing in the Star:
...Memorise, repeat, forget is the MO in way too many Kenyan schools and universities – not critical thinking and problem solving. This won’t be helped by an ever growing number of universities. For one, having more graduates of the same low quality isn’t progress.
And then there is the entire middle ground that is not covered: those people who are not necessarily university material, but who would do very well in vocational training: carpenters, electricians, plumbers and so on.
Kenya’s jua kali sector is brimming with energy that could be harnessed with systematic skills development. Both require systemic, institution-based solutions, and not unrealistic pledges of simply more cash (that may or may not go safari – Prof Ongeri?).
Do you see those guys hanging around the matatu stages finding Konza jobs? Even if Kenya finds a way to turn around this problem, they might still be a lost generation. As a friend of mine said: you can’t parade around a high unemployment rate as a ready labour pool.