Dropouts beat University graduates to jobs; reports
Dropouts are much better than university graduates in the job market in Kenya according to a recent report by the World Bank.
At the symposium on education reforms, experts were urged to address the high unemployment rates among graduates.
According to Mr. Pedro Cerdan-Infantes, a senior economist at the World Bank, graduates in sub-Saharan Africa have complained bitterly about the lengthy job search process, which takes “on average, five years for a university graduate to find employment in Kenya.”
The fact that university graduates experience greater unemployment rates than individuals with only primary or secondary education or dropouts is a likely result of admissions policies and, as Mr. Pedro pointed out, a sign that the labor market and tertiary education are “not doing their bit.”
He said that the region’s tertiary education system has not done a good job of evaluating graduates’ talents or encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, which results in situations where workers are either over- or under-qualified for a position.
Kenya does poorly in the World Bank ranking of nations based on the percentage of workers with the necessary education for the job and their level of education.
A little over a third (34.5%) of the workforce possesses the education required for the position, with 40.4% of workers being undereducated and 24.9% being overqualified.
“When you look at where they are employed, among the countries, Kenya is where the mismatch is the largest. We have a lot of not sufficiently educated people in the educated jobs and overly educated people in the same jobs,” Mr. Pedro said in a presentation on the importance of tertiary education for productivity, growth, and equity.
The meeting of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms in Kenya at Karen last week heard that among countries with high match rates are Macedonia (72.6 percent), Ukraine (72.1 percent), and Georgia (66.4 percent).
Kenya doesn’t fare much better on the economic complexity index, which gauges the degree of export diversification.
The variety of countries varies greatly from those with low technical levels and those with high technological levels.
In comparison to China (33), Mauritius (66), Singapore (5), South Africa (70), and Uganda, Kenya is placed 90, down from 78 in 2010. (87).
Mr. Pedro advocated for strong ties with employers, curriculum revision to develop graduates with 21st-century capabilities, and hiring business people for internships and visiting professorships.
He also advocated for joint initiatives to use pertinent research in order to boost production and introduce new ideas for goods and procedures.
Prof Laban Ayiro, the vice-chancellor of Daystar University, observed that the majority (76 percent) of graduates with secondary and tertiary-level skills lean towards humanities and social sciences.
Only less than a quarter (24 percent) study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Stem), a situation that should be reversed if the country is to advance technologically.
Another reason to reform the education system, Prof Ayiro observed, is to curb the massive wastage rates at Class Eight (69 percent) and Form Four (58 percent).
The team, appointed by President William Ruto, heard that despite important progress, enrolment in tertiary education remains low and unequal.
At 10 percent, tertiary education enrolment in Kenya is slightly higher than the regional average of 9.5 percent, but significantly lower than low and middle-income economies, according to the World Bank.
But experts warn rapid enrolment growth does not lead to improved access for under-represented groups. The inequality that bars children from poor backgrounds from accessing tertiary education should be resolved.
Experts have been challenged to explore solutions that provide equitable chances using a combination of financial aid (scholarships and loans) and non-monetary approaches in order to increase access and promote equity (outreach, affirmative action, and retention).
Accelerating enrollment through institutional distinctiveness is a different tactic (non-university institutions, online programmes, and the role of private providers).
The quality of teaching should not, however, be compromised during the expansion.
The team was informed that there was not enough qualified employees to support the rapid expansion of universities.
As a result, student-teacher ratios in public colleges have risen, with some exceeding 70:1.
Additionally, many tertiary education institutions still use highly traditional academic norms.
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