Don’t be duped to taking an invalid university course, do your research.
In light of a report by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, where the Commission for University Education (CUE) says it has not approved 133 courses and which are now invalid it is important as a soon to be University or College student to do your research on your preferred course.
According to a report by Nairobi News more than 10,000 students enrolled in bachelor’s degree courses in 26 universities risk getting “worthless” certificates because the programmes are being offered illegally. The courses include Bachelor of arts in geography, political science, community development, development and policy studies, and counseling psychology. Arts courses are economics, Kiswahili, international relations, public administration and governance, and peace education. Science courses include applied statistics with computing, actuarial science, botany, informatics, and natural resource management. Others are management and information, human nutrition and dietetics, public health, and biochemistry.
Now for most teenagers who have just completed high school, life is in a way just beginning. Your future lies in the decisions you make. When it comes to education the next level is the university. Most students complete high school and have no idea what course they are going to take in the university. This may be due to lack of proper counseling while still in school or lack of seriousness on part of the student concerning his or her future.
Apart from doing research on valid university courses, here are some of the factors to consider when choosing a degree course to pursue in a Kenyan university according to an article by Kenya Plex.
1. The cluster subjects
Cluster subjects are the subjects that one has to do in high school to pursue a certain line of career. For example medicine, you must have taken the compulsory subjects i.e mathematics, English, Swahili all three sciences and two other subjects. For a career in engineering or related course, Physics is a must. So you must match your career of choice to your cluster subjects. Then you deal with the matter of the cut off points.
2. The cut-off points
In order for one to qualify to apply for a course, he or she must have attained the minimum cut off points put by the university. Courses like; medicine, architecture, and engineering have very high cut off point and many students fail to get them. So it is important to consider them and compare your points to the ones put by the university.
3. Your interest in the course
Many students choose courses because of influence from family, friends or teachers. This influence leads the student to think he or she wants to take the course but it is indeed the wrong choice for him/herself. They will end up being unhappy with the course finally chosen. So when you think about a career think about what interests you have and what career path will lead you closer to your interests.
4. The marketability of the course
A course is only as good as its demand in the job market. There are courses that will lead to direct employment after completion of campus. You must consider these courses and put them at the top of your list. There are other courses that do not offer immediate employment such that you will have to tarmac for a long time before getting a job. In case you choose such a course make sure it is worth all the trouble you will go through when looking for a job.
With that said, last year, 90,744 KCSE candidates qualified to join the university. The placement service has opened its online portal for the students to revise their courses for placement in April 2019.
