Running a university is no doubt one of the most lucrative ventures in Kenya today. The rate at which street colleges and campuses are mushrooming is alarming. Kenyans are thirsty for papers. Many do not care about the reputation of the institution. In the end, everyone wants a fat CV pimped with degree and diploma certificates. This probably explains why the Commission for University Education recently cracked the whip. The victims were just too many. Below are signs to look for when sieving a campus from an academic kiosk.
Third Floor Campus- Standing at The National Archives and turning in four directions leaves one salivating at the booming university business. Today campuses are competing for spaces along commercial streets. If your campus is between a fast food restaurant and an insurance broker along a city street, your degree could be a waste of time.
Daily admissions- When did universities start admitting students daily like a prison or hospital? Are you in a driving school? An institution, which admits freshers weekly, is undoubtedly, not a center of excellence.
No exams– Imagine earning those coveted powers to read and do all that pertains to your degree without the ‘exam fever’! Well, it is common. If you ever proceeded to another year of study minus exams, you are in campo fake.
No Single Professor on Campus – If you have a degree yet the only Dr. you know is Dr. Bishop Kanyari go back to class. If you brag of your degree yet the only professor you’ve heard of is Prof. Peter Anyang Nyong’ debating and never taught you, then you’ve no idea of what it means going to campus. The early you go back to class, the better for your upstairs.
Confusing names – Looking for a fake university? They are defined by whole sentence of a name, with conflicting nouns and adjectives like college, university, technical, institute. Why would an institution of higher learning, in the 21st Century, hide its identity in such a hopeless sentence of a name?
No ranking- What is your university’s global ranking or even local for that matter! Even though some of our so called unis have global ranking more than your tithe, or even M-pesa balance, it’s better than not being ranked at all. If no one recognizes your influence locally and beyond borders, why offer papers in the name of degrees?
No transcripts- Of course besides juicy course titles, employers are insisting on seeing your transcripts to discern what you fed on academically, during your 3, 4 or whichever number of years in college. If you graduate without these documents, you may have attended a kiosk campus.
