Education, Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said this will ensure better coordination of research initiatives among various institutions mandated to conduct research and avoid duplication/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 14 – The government has developed Bill that will harmonise all public institutions that manage research initiatives and programmes.
Education, Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said this will ensure better coordination of research initiatives among various institutions mandated to conduct research and avoid duplication.
Matiang’i further disclosed that Sh3billion has been set aside to facilitate research for the advancement of science, technology and innovation in the country.
“We are looking at our National Research Policy so that we re-look at developing a national research agenda which must be driven by national development goals and national development objectives. As a government, our focus is Vision 2030 and employment for or young people,” he pointed out.
The Cabinet Secretary made the remarks during the official opening of a two-day symposium on managing university research and publications at the Kenya School of Government on Thursday.
Speaking during the event, Matiang’i underscored the importance of research saying they provided the basis for the policy making.
“You cannot have quality policies without evidence that comes from research,” he stated.
He challenged research institutions to ensure that research findings were disseminated to guide policy and opinion makers.
He said research may not be helpful if we don’t disseminate.”Research cannot be done in a vacuum.”
He in the meantime challenged Universities to confront the problem of cheating in academic and professional programmes in the institutions.
He noted that there was a chronic problem of plagiarism and cheating in institutions of higher learning, and stated that it was affecting the quality and relevance of research in the country.
“Universities must set up new standards of excellence to for graduate programmes to safeguard the provision of quality higher education,” he said.
He underscored the need for institutions of higher learning to work closely with professional organisations to maintain high standards of required.
He expressed concern that some universities admitted students into certain academic and professional programmes that did not have the entry qualifications for such programmes.
He said the reservations professional associations made were done in good faith.
He said universities should work with them to avoid hurting the quality and training that provide.
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