Browsing by Author "Ngunjiri, Irene"

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    Fostering sustainable development through quality assurance in higher education
    Ngunjiri, Irene
    According to the World Bank working paper no. 124, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is home to 740 million people. Although the number is increasing, Africa has 635 out of the world’s 17,716 universities (3.6%). The gross tertiary enrollment ratio is about 5 percent, the lowest in the world. The current enrolments rates are the highest that Sub Saharan Africa has ever seen. It is hoped that these rates will continue to increase in spite of the fact that the budget allocation for education has been declining in most countries over the years. This coupled with the mushrooming of private provision of higher education and pressure from a rapidly transforming labor market have given rise to new concerns about quality. One of the ways in which universities assure quality and acquire recognition in their home countries and abroad is through accreditation and certification. In addition, universities seek quality certifications so as to differentiate themselves from the many institutions that are offering degrees and diplomas which have become commodities in the market economy. Today, a number of universities are seeking and acquiring the ISO certification in Kenya. 3 out of the 7 public universities have received the ISO certification while one private university is certified. Quality is fitness for purpose. John Henry Newman, states that university education implies an action upon our mental nature, and the formation of a character. It goes beyond providing information to the person to formation of the person. The ultimate aim university education then becomes integral human development. Quality certifications have had positive impact on the business performance of many entities. For instance they have lead to significant cost reductions, time saving and customer retention. However do these perceived benefits lead universities to achieving their true purpose and mission when they define and follow quality procedures? The certification procedures currently in use focus on the institution, the product it offers and the processes that are in place in the institution. This paper seeks to examine the role played by quality assurance in university education, the purpose of higher education and the factors that could make accreditation ineffective. It ends by suggesting how this process could be improved.
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    The role of the Kenyan diaspora in economic development: a theoretical review
    Ngunjiri, Irene
    The importance of the role that the diaspora play in economic development is indisputable. The Government of Kenya has taken cognizance of this fact and has put a number of measures to ensure that the diaspora are engaged. Some of the measures are inclusion of the role of the diaspora in the New Constitution (2010) and Vision 2030, the development of a Diaspora Policy (200 7) among others . This research is a theoretical review of the role of the Kenyan Diaspora economic development. The research prov ides a synthesis and comparative analysis of the recent studies (2006-2013) on role of diaspora in creating sustainable businesses since previous research have looked at specific aspects of the role of Kenyan diaspora in business and development and have not endeavored to perform a comparative analysis. It concludes by stating that a gap exists in the studies conducted on the role of Kenyan diaspora in economic development and gives areas that future studies could focus on.
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    The Role of women in nation building
    Ngunjiri, Irene; Gachenga, Elizabeth
    The task of nation building requires the participation of all regardless of their race, ethnicity or gender in the creation of a strong state. The challenge of balancing between the need for unity and the recognition for diversity in the course of nation building is manifest not just in the interaction between Kenyans of different racial and ethnic backgrounds but also between the different genders. Strathmore University’s motto ‘that all may be one’ articulates the institution’s commitment to contribute through education to this task of nation building in a spirit of unity of races, ethnicities and gender. The appreciation of the need for gender equality has led to the enshrining of affirmative principles in Kenya’s new Constitution to ensure the participation of women at all levels of national decision making. This important milestone provides the opportunity to reflect on the role of women in nation building and thus the education that women should receive in order to prepare them to effectively contribute to nation building. This paper reflects on this by addressing the questions: What makes woman “woman”?; and What type of education does she need so as to make that unique contribution to nation building that only she can make?