Quality of higher education in Kenya: Addressing the conundrum

Despite the consensus amongst all stakeholders of the critical need for action in the higher education sector in Kenya, national and institutional drives for quality have had limited impact. This study aims to assess the barriers to enhancing quality in Kenyan higher education, drawing on interviews, observations and documentary analysis as part of a three year study. Three types of barrier are identified in the data: resources (staffing and infrastructure), governance (organisational structures and stakeholder participation) and pedagogical culture (social hierarchies and approaches to teaching, curriculum and assessment). On the basis of these findings, it is argued that a 'three-pronged' response is needed: reforms in policy and practice must address simultaneously the material conditions of universities, the forms of institutional organisation, and the cultural relations of teaching and learning.