Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Wednesday, June 12 called for partnership between universities and industries.
Speaking during the 4th Biennial Conference On University Research And Innovation Held At The Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC), Machogu said there is a need for robust partnerships between universities and industries as the country prepares to usher in Competency-Based Education in higher learning institutions.
“We need to see more collaborations or partnerships between universities, industry, and communities. Similarly, linkages between the universities and industry should be more robust, especially now as the country prepares to usher in the Competency-Based Education (CBE) at the higher education level,” Machogu stated.
The Education CS urged universities to proactively take leadership in talking to industries in key activities such as curriculum development, internship, coteaching, and evaluation activities.
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Machogu noted that university students would be better prepared for world work through collaborations between higher learning institutions and industries.
“Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer is what will drive this country to the next frontier in development. More importantly, it is the commercialization of research outputs that will be the game changer,” Machogu stated.
Further, he said opportunities for creating a linkage between universities and industries exist in projects like the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), National Highways Construction, and real estate development.
“Research Centres like KEMRI, KALRO, KEFRI, AMPATH, AMREF, and several others that work with international partners using cutting-edge technology, especially in agriculture, health, and forestry are ideal for working closely with universities to come up with new products in frontier fields in health, industry, agriculture, and environmental conservation,” Machogu remarked.
