A government quality assurance body has declared that all diploma and certificate courses are wrongfully being offered by public and private universities in the country.
The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), in a statement, noted that all diplomas and certificates offered by universities currently cannot be recognised and registered under the Kenya National Qualifications Framework (KNQF).
This implies that the courses do not attract international recognition given the universities are not enlisted as ratified training institutions for the coursework.
KNQA director-general Dr Juma Mukhwana insists that diplomas and certificates courses must be accredited by the Technical and Vocational Training Authority (TVETA), the Commission for University Education (CUE) approves only degrees such as bachelors, masters and doctorate training.
"Most of the universities have been offering diplomas and certificates without bothering to accredit them with TVETA and neither are they accredited by CUE," cautioned Dr Mukhwana.
The director says the authority requires that diploma courses take a minimum of two years training, yet in most institutions, this requirement is violated.
He appealed for a crucial stakeholder engagement on the concern to avoid possible disadvantaging of students given the new development would imply diploma and certificate offered after 2006 are null and void.
KNQA chairman Prof Bonventure Keeri, during a recent workshop to sensitise universities and TVETS institutions on the new qualifications framework, reproached universities offering diploma and certificates.
Kere stated that universities should focus on teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students alongside doing extensive research.
“We should not accept to reduce professors to teaching certificate and diploma students at all. Professors outside Kenya undertake research and do not teach students fresh from secondary schools taking certificate courses,” argued Prof Keeri.
