| dc.description.abstract | The recent and rising increase in enrollment at th
e primary school level since the introduction of th
e
FPE in 2003 has led to a corresponding and signif
icant rise in enrollment rates at the secondary
school level. This has translated into an increased
demand for higher education in the country. The
demand for higher education is driven by the realiz
ation that this level of education forms the princi
pal
pillar of development. The current development agen
da in Kenya is inspired by the realization that
there are many available options and avenues via w
hich the goals of industrialization and
socioeconomic development can be achieved. Higher e
ducation will play the strategic role in the
process. It is therefore necessary to explore and u
nderstand the nature of linkages which exist betwe
en
upper-secondary and higher education levels in term
s of access, equity, relevance, financing,
curriculum, quality and articulation to the job mar
ket. This study has examined the evolving trends
and what they portend for the development of higher
education and life long learning in Kenya. It has
critically analysed the articulation routes, delved
into the quality aspect, the sustainability of the
various initiatives, and identified the lessons lea
rnt for possible best practices. Although the local
focus of higher education is university education,
there are four national polytechnics and several
middle-level colleges which also absorb the seconda
ry school graduates in Kenya. The demand for
university education has led to the opening up of
public universities for the Self Sponsored
Programmes (SSP) and an increase in private univers
ities. Horizontal and vertical articulation between
the curricula and its assessment been discussed. T
he study previews the sustainability of the
articulation pathways in the face of the expected s
urge in demand for higher education in the short an
d
long term in Kenya. The study concludes that the re
cent initiatives to reform the upper secondary
curriculum, to open up university access via the SS
P route, to reconfigure student financing, to provi
de
for the establishment of private universities and f
or admission of more female students have had
positive impacts, and are sustainable. The limited
horizontal articulation within the higher education
sector and the tendency to take over ongoing middle
-level institutions in order to provide for access
need to be evaluated. It is also proposed to assess
the impact of the long waiting period between
upper primary and higher education and how it affec
ts articulation and subsequent student
performance in the university. | en |
