Endangered: The need to go for studies abroad

By TIM KAMUZU BANDA kbanda@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, April 24 2011 at 18:00

In Summary

• Since tighter visa rules are preventing more Kenyans from chasing education abroad, some foreign colleges are opening schools in Nairobi

Education could be one of the most lucrative businesses in Kenya today. In Nairobi, for instance, there is a college on every other corner.

Universities have established several campuses in a bid to increase their scope to admit more students.

The trend, together with the rising cost of studies abroad and stringent immigration rules and conditions, seem to have dealt a significant blow to the intake of private universities in the West.

The cost of studying for an arts degree in the UK, for example, is about Sh800,000 a year for tuition while a science degree, such as in the medical field, could easily go for as much as Sh2.5 million a year. This does not include other expenses like the high cost of accommodation and subsistence in Europe.

Some of those universities that Kenyans would like to attend are now bringing education closer to prospective students.

They have opened campuses in Kenya to tap the demand by students who may no longer be able to afford courses they offer in their countries.

The latest to open a college in Kenya is the Bloomsbury Business School from the UK, which has set up classes at the Royal ICT Business Park on Mombasa Road.

The Nairobi campus opened its doors last month and is offering diplomas, higher diplomas, and postgraduate diplomas in hotel management, international business, and business management.

“We have heeded the call by many of our former students from Africa to open shop here. Everything we are offering at the college in Nairobi mirrors what we offer in London,” says Mr Kevin Martin, a director of Bloomsbury Business School.

The college is working towards being able to offer degree courses in collaboration with Keele University in the UK.

Ms Anne Kihara, who has been the recruitment and visa manager for Study Destination, an education agency for several European universities, says that over the years, a number of European countries have tightened their immigration rules, locking out many students from travelling abroad to study.

“Some countries even require that you pay all your tuition fees upfront before they can give the green light for you to get a visa. That is beyond the reach of many,” explains Ms Kihara.

Hard economic times and the recession have not made studying in Europe or the US any easier.

“Life isn’t the same for students going to study in the UK as it was a few years ago. Back then, a student was allowed by law to work 20 hours a week during term time and more during holidays, but this is not the case any more,” says Ms Janet Aliwa, who recently returned from Portsmouth, UK.

She adds that everything is expensive and even if the tuition fees were paid, one would still have to earn an income from student jobs to make ends meet.

“As an education and career adviser, I would rather a student studied at a college like Bloomsbury here in Kenya, where you can get the same qualification as the institution abroad and at Kenyan rates,” advises Ms Kihara.

Bloomsbury Business School is not the only one that has set up shop in Kenya. The London School of Management has had operations in the country for some years now, offering the same courses that it does in London.

Reports indicate that Middlesex University, which had opened an information office in Kenya, could set up a college in Nairobi this year.

The Australian Study Institute (AUSI) offers programmes from the Australian-based Perth Institute of Business and the Edith Cowen University in Kenya.

“The education fairs that were common in Kenya, where universities would send representatives to recruit students from are not so many now, and I foresee several other institutions in Europe opening colleges here,” adds Ms Kihara.