The director of the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology(JOOUST)Kisii campus, Henry Onderi, has called on the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to ensure all members appointed to the university governing councils are professionals drawn from various academic and professional fields.
Onderi, who is also the Kisii County Education Board chairman, insisted it is important for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to ensure the same criteria applies in the appointment of members to the boards of management in technical institutions and polytechnics.
Speaking on Monday morning in his office, Onderi noted that most university councils are composed of people with inadequate experience and expertise in the management of university affairs.
''I strongly advocate for university councils to reflect the face of Kenya to avert constituting university councils dominated by a particular ethnic communities yet universities are national institutions whose council membership should be drawn from various ethnic communities across the country," stated Onderi.
Onderi's sentiments come immediately after the CS for Education,Science and Technology, Fred Matiang'i's move to disband all public universities' governing councils to pave way for the constitution of new councils in line with the new universities act which came into force in 2012, rendering current university councils illegal as they are supposed to have been reconstituted two years ago after the enactment of the act.
According to section 36 of the act, the new-look university councils will consist of nine members, five of whom shall be competitively by the cabinet. Other members to the councils are permanent secretaries from the Ministries of Education, Science and Technology and Finance. A chairperson and the vice-chancellor who will be an ex officio member.