Expanding Tertiary Education for Well-Paid Jobs: Competitiveness and Shared Prosperity in Kenya (World Bank Studies)

Expanding Tertiary education with quality, relevance and equity is one of the most decisive challenges for Kenya’s future, including the achievement of the ideals of the 2010 Constitution and, especially, its 2030 vision, which aims at transforming Kenya into a “newly industrializing, middle income, globally competitive and prosperous country†?. That is because tertiary education can contribute in a critical manner to successfully overcome several of the country’s challenges. This book provide analysis and policy recommendations to Government of Kenya, tertiary education leaders and the many stakeholders on managing the massive tertiary education expansion facing the country. This book, first, discusses the motivation for the analysis and its choice of three critical topics: quality and relevance; governance, and student financing. Secondly, it reviews findings on each area, and, third, it ends with a set of policy recommendations. Front Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Abbreviations -- Chapter 1 Executive Summary -- Introduction -- Rationale for the Three Focus Areas -- The Key Numbers: A Tertiary Education System under Pressure -- Key Findings: Quality and Relevance -- Key Findings: Student Financing -- Key Findings: Regulatory Oversight and Management of the Higher Education Sector -- Policy Options -- Improving Governance through the Process of Expansion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2 Quality and Relevance -- Objective -- Introduction -- The Youth Bulge and the Expected Tsunami of Secondary Educated Graduates -- Limited Relevance of Programs -- Policy Recommendations -- Expansion without Quality -- Policy Recommendations -- Inequitable Expansion -- Policy Recommendations -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3 Student Loans: A Tool for Equitable Expansion -- Introduction -- Why Student Loans? -- Student Loans in Kenya -- Challenge 1: Meeting Demand for Loans -- Challenge 2: Targeting -- Challenge 3: Weak Recovery Mechanisms -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 4 Governance of Post-Secondary Education in Kenya -- Introduction -- The National Vision: The Context of Reforms in Higher Education -- The Higher Education Legal and Institutional Framework -- The Governance and Management of Kenyan Higher Education -- Conclusion: Challenges, Opportunities, and Recommendations -- Notes -- References -- Boxes -- Box 3.1 HELB Loans at a Glance -- Box 3.2 Chilean Loan Scheme-A Focus on Equity -- Box 4.1 Status of Universities in Kenya, 2014 -- Figures -- Figure 2.1 Enrollment in Primary and Secondary Education in Kenya, 2001-13 -- Figure 2.2 Changes in Kenyan Post-Secondary Enrollment: TVET and Universities -- Figure 2.3 Percentage of Firms in Kenya Identifying an Inadequately Educated Workforce as a Major Constraint

Expanding tertiary education with quality, relevance, and equity is one of the most decisive challenges facing Kenya's future, including achievement of the ideals of the 2010 Constitution and, especially, its 2030 vision, which aims at transforming Kenya into a "newly industrializing, middle-income, globally competitive, and prosperous country." That is because tertiary education can contribute in a critical manner to successfully overcome several of the country's challenges. This book provides analysis and policy recommendations to the government of Kenya, tertiary education leaders, and the many stakeholders on managing the massive tertiary education expansion facing the country. It discusses the motivation for the analysis and its choice of three critical topics— quality and relevance, governance, and student financing. Then it reviews the findings in each area and concludes with a set of policy recommendations.