The 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates avoided applying to study some courses at university.
2020 KCSE candidates followed the normal trend of applying for the most marketable courses in the country. By marketable we are referring to courses that enable graduates to self-employ or get employed. This includes courses like medicine, nursing, education, computer science, journalism, information and technology (IT) engineering and law.
According to the Kenya Universities and Colleges and Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), 16 courses did not receive a single applicant from a pool of more than 90,000 students from the 2020 KCSE candidates. The courses were on offer from more than ten institutions.
According to Daily Nation, the courses had vacancies for 795 learners. Despite their availability, none of the 2020 candidates felt it was worth it to invest four years or more in studying the courses.
What are these courses?
Below are the courses that the 2020 candidates did not apply for. This is mainly due to the feeling that the courses are not marketable.
- Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering
- Bachelor of Technology in Building Construction
- Bachelor of Science in Automotive Technology
- Bachelor of Technology in Renewable Energy
- Bachelor of Science in Energy Technology
- Bachelor of Agribusiness Management
- Bachelor of Science in Animal Production and Nutrition
- Bachelor of Science in Fisheries
- Bachelor of Agribusiness Management
- Bachelor of Science in Oceanography
- Bachelor of Science in Renewable Energy and Technology
- Bachelor of Laws and Sharia
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Education in Technology
- Bachelor in Economics and Statistics
- Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Resources
- Bachelor in Agricultural Education and Extension
During the application for courses, 2020 KCSE candidates made mistakes as KUCCPS CEO Agnes Wahome observed. Wahome also revealed that a total of 265,145 students applied to pursue degrees and Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) courses. Out of the 265,145 students, 137,072 of them qualified to study TVET Courses while 128,073 qualified for degree courses.
The courses that missed applicants have raised the question regarding the relevance as well as the marketability of those courses.
Following the revelation, the Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof George Magoha directed the Commission for University Education (CUE) to conduct a thorough investigation on the courses that did not receive any applications and do a review or even stop the offering of the courses in universities.