Cabinet Approves Plan To Transform University Of Nairobi
— written by Francis on Dec. 17, 2024, 6:57 p.m.
The Cabinet’s enforcement of the University of Nairobi’s (UoN) two-year change strategy is a significant step in the process of reviving the institution and dealing with its financial and operational issues. In turn, it will involve fund restructuring of UoN, the enrichment of basic functions of the academy, and positioning as the flagship research and innovation university.
Financial Restructuring
The university is encumbered with massive liabilities such as unpaid statutory deductions (KSh 4.1 billion) and pension arrears (KSh 7 billion). The restructuring plan consists of a revamped financial system that will take care of these arrears and provide the enables to the university to be able to sustain its financial affairs. Besides, financial stability will be secured through the introduction of new sources of revenue.
Academic Excellence:
The major issue will be the renewal of UoN’s curriculum in the synchronization of new technologies and innovations that are trending globally. The classes in Artificial Intelligence, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship will be the most favored to train the workforce for the future. UoN also intends to beef up the resources that it already has for research which will be majorly in health, agriculture, and climate change.
Infrastructure and Technology
UoN will have the renovation of its facilities put in place, namely lecture halls as well as specialized research labs, and the acquisition of new and advanced technologies. The adaptation of new online education platforms, digital libraries, and AI research tools, with which university teachers engage, will be helpful in their educational delivery and research performance.
Expanding Access
As a part of the transformation plan, there are plans to expand access to higher education, especially for those who are not served well by the system. An important piece of this is giving out scholarships and providing different ways of learning through online and evening courses.
Global Partnerships
In its pursuit of global academic prominence, UoN shall enter into partnerships with significant universities and research institutions worldwide, thus giving students both international exposure and collaborative opportunities.
This newly made UoN can be called a center of innovation and academic excellence, and consequently, it can bring both students and Kenya’s broader development goals to a much higher level.
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