National Policy on University Post Graduate Research ...

Quality: The Agenda

National Policy on University Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya J. Too, A. Kande, S. Kiptoo, E. Mukhwana and D.K. Some

National Policy on Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya

National Policy on University Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya Corresponding Author: Jackson Too, PhD Email: [email protected]

Citation: J. Too, A. Kande, S. Kiptoo, E. Mukhwana and D.K. Some (2016): National Policy on University Post Graduate Research Training in Kenya Commission for University Education. Discussion Paper 03. Nairobi, Kenya.


©2016 Commission for University Education, Kenya

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ISBN: 978-9966-009-23-4


FOREWORD The Commission for University Education considers research as a critical component of higher education and training in Kenya as the country aims to seamlessly transit to an industrialized knowledgebased economy. Indeed the government views research and development as a means of creating wealth and enhancing human development. To help us actualize this, the Commission needs to take lead in providing policy guidelines in training and research activities in the education sub-sector. The policy has identified key thematic areas on which universities are expected to address. These include: institutional policies and regulations; admission of postgraduate students; the learning environment; institutional support systems; and funding. In coming up with this policy, the Commission is propelled by the ideals enshrined in its Vision, Mission, Strategic Objectives and Core Values. These ideals are only realizable within a framework of a researching and learning institution that is continuously improving its services and outputs. The University sub-sector has a strong component of research that contributes immensely to the development of Kenya. Through this document the Commission is setting standards for the quality of training, supervision of postgraduate students and research that shall take place in all universities in Kenya. Through high impact research the country will be able to achieve its goals and objectives and transform the economy into the much desired knowledge-based economy.

Prof. David Kimutai Some Commission Secretary/Chief Executive Officer


Table of Contents FOREWORD ................................................................................................................................................ 4 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................................................ 6 Definition of Terms....................................................................................................................................... 7 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 9 1.1 Overview of the Commission ........................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Mandate ............................................................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Specific Functions of the Commission ............................................................................................. 9 1.4 Vision................................................................................................................................................ 10 1.5 Mission ............................................................................................................................................. 10 1.6 Corporate Values ............................................................................................................................ 10 1.7 Purpose of the Policy ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.8 Applicability .................................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter Two: Background Information ...................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2 Linkage of Post Graduate Research and Training with the National Development Agenda .. 13 Chapter Three: Quality Assurance and Enhancement in Post-Graduate Training and Research ............... 14 3.1 Thematic Areas of Policy Interventions ........................................................................................ 14 3.1.1 Post-graduate programmes ......................................................................................................... 14 3.1.2 Institutional Policies and Regulations ........................................................................................ 14 3.1.3 Students Admission.................................................................................................................... 16 3.1.4 The Learning Environment ........................................................................................................ 18 3.1.5. Institutional Support Systems ................................................................................................... 23 3.1.6 Funding ...................................................................................................................................... 24


List of Abbreviations and Acronyms CUE

Commission for University Education

DAAD

German Academic Exchange Services

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

GER

Gross Enrolment Rate

ICT

Information and Communication Technology

ISCED

International Standard Classification of Education

MDGs

Millennium Development Goals

MTP II

Medium Term Plan II

NACOSTI

National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation

R&D

Research and Development

SDGs

Sustainable Development Goals


Definition of Terms Access

The opportunity availed for one to enter education and training.

Admission

A process of assessment and review that enables an education and training program or institution to be recognized or certified by the appointed body as meeting appropriate standards.

Bachelor’s Degree

The first degree offered by a university or equivalent institution.

Private Institution

An institution established as either for-profit or not -for-profit for education and training purposes.

Public Institution

An institution wholly owned by the Government or funded out of public funds for education and training purposes.

Quality

Degree of excellence as measured against agreed upon standards.


Executive Summary The National Policy on University Post-Graduate Research and Training covers a number of thematic areas. These are broadly classified into: Institutional Policies and Regulations; the Students Admission process; the Learning Environment; Institutional Support Systems; and Funding. Universities have graduate school policies and regulations to guide the training of postgraduate students. Most universities have also developed research policies that further emphasize the research component of postgraduate training. Most policies are however not readily accessible to students and staff. Minimum admission requirements for post-graduate training in Kenya are similar across all universities. Doctor of Philosophy degree applicants are normally required to prepare a research concept. However, this works well in situations where the number of students is small compared to the number of faculty members. Universities are striving to provide support infrastructure for graduate students. This includes specialized libraries or carrels in libraries, research and computer laboratories, and internet access. In terms of funding, universities are unable to provide scholarships to the large number of graduate students and faculty members. Finally the policy addresses the issue of plagiarism that is rampant in the universities. This is due to the ease of access to information in electronic form through the internet coupled with the rise in student numbers. This has put into question the integrity of students’ research output.


Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 Overview of the Commission The Commission for University Education was established by an Act of Parliament, Universities Act No. 42 of 2012 as the successor to the Commission for Higher Education which was established under Universities Act Cap 210B of 1985. This was to address the need to regulate, coordinate and assure quality in university education as a result of growth and expansion of the university sub-sector in Kenya. The Commission was established as a body corporate to make better provisions for the advancement of quality university education in the country.

1.2 Mandate The mandate of the Commission is to ensure the maintenance of standards, quality and relevance in all aspects of university education, training and research. The Commission mainstreams quality assurance practices in university education and encourages continuous improvement in the management of the quality of university education. The enactment of the Universities Act, 2012 extended the quality assurance mandate of the Commission to cover both public and private universities.

1.3 Specific Functions of the Commission The specific functions of the Commission for University Education are stipulated in Section 5 (1) of the Universities Act of 2012 as follows: a)

Promote the objectives of university education;

b)

Advise the Cabinet Secretary on policy relating to university education;

c)

Promote, set standards and assure relevance in the quality of university education;

d)

Monitor and evaluate the state of university education systems in relation to the national development goals;

e)

License any student recruitment agencies operating in Kenya and any activities by foreign universities;

f)

Develop policy for criteria and requirements for admission to universities;


g)

Recognize and equate degrees, diplomas and certificates conferred or awarded by foreign universities and institutions in accordance with the standards and guidelines set by the Commission from time to time;

h)

Undertake or cause to be undertaken, regular inspections, monitoring and evaluation of universities to ensure compliance with set standards and guidelines;

i)

Collect, disseminate and maintain data on university education;

j)

Accredit universities in Kenya;

k)

Regulate university education in Kenya;

l)

accredit and inspect university programmes in Kenya;

m)

Promote quality research and innovation; and

n)

Perform such other functions and exercise such as powers as the Commission may deem necessary for the proper discharge of its mandate under the Act.

1.4 Vision Accessible, relevant and sustainable quality university education.

1.5 Mission To regulate and assure quality university education by setting standards & guidelines and monitoring to achieve global competitiveness.

1.6 Corporate Values 

Professionalism;



Integrity;



Teamwork;



Accountability; and



Responsiveness

1.7 Purpose of the Policy The policy is expected to guide universities in aligning their specific policies on post graduate research and training.


1.8 Applicability The policy is applicable to all public chartered universities, public universities constituent colleges, private chartered universities, private universities constituent colleges, private universities with Letters of Interim Authority and registered private universities.


Chapter Two: Background Information

2.1 Introduction The government continues to place great importance to research in the realisation of its national development agenda. It views Research and Development (R&D), as a means of creating wealth and enhancing human development and is a critical component of higher education and training. It also plays a vital role in industrial transformation, economic growth and poverty reduction. However, quality research requires sufficient funding, availability of highly trained research staff, adequate and appropriate facilities and equipment. For Kenya to meet her needs in R&D, there is need to give R&D priority in national development. While the expansion of undergraduate access to university education is receiving increasing attention, universities are not allocating adequate resources to the development of postgraduate programmes. In 2015, graduate enrolment stood at approximately 11.9% of the student population up from 10% in 2014, a situation that is deemed to be unacceptable in view of the country’s current and future needs. Furthermore, there has been no national policy on postgraduate research and training and as such there are few guidelines on budgeting, students’ loans, admissions and priorities on programmes and research. In addition to enrolments in Masters and PhD programmes remaining relatively low, the processing of students from the time of initial registration to graduation is too long, with the quality of preparation and supervision of graduate programmes on the whole quite weak. As a result, the rate and the numbers of postgraduate students being produced are inadequate to meet national needs that include staffing the increased number of universities, replacing an ageing faculty, and the professional cadres required in government, the private sector, international agencies and the NGO community.


2.2 Linkage of Post Graduate Research and Training with the National Development Agenda Kenya's national development agenda is articulated in the nation's development blueprint, Vision 2030. Vision 2030 has the objective of transforming Kenya into a newly industrialising, middleincome country, providing high quality life for all its citizens, by the year 2030. This will be realised through transformation of the Kenyan economy to an innovative one driven by technological innovation, a shift from knowledge-reproduction to knowledge-production, and ensuring the availability of a critical mass of well-qualified human resource to spur development. Human resource development as an essential enabler for an industrialising economy is acknowledged in Vision 2030, and can only come about as a result of quality education and training. The heart of this transformation will be the university education system that must be “focused, efficient and able to create knowledge, and deliver accessible, equitable, relevant and quality training to sustain a knowledge economy that is internationally competitive.” Research is a core activity of universities, and central to post-graduate training. Research output forms the basis for the realisation of national development goals. Universities should strive to increase their research grant portfolios by attracting increased funding from Government, the private sector, development partners and international organizations. These grants will support the generation of new knowledge, as well as meet part of recurrent expenditure, support facilities development, equipment purchase, and staff development. Research funding flows to research areas that are relevant to and support the realisation of national development goals. Universities should therefore strive to align their research agendas to national priorities, and play their part in national development.


Chapter Three: Quality Assurance and Enhancement in Post-Graduate Training and Research

3.1 Thematic Areas of Policy Interventions The assurance and enhancement of quality in post-graduate research and training is central to this policy. Thus the focus will be on the following key areas: i.

Post-graduate programmes

ii.

Policy and regulations

iii.

The students Admission

iv.

The learning environment

v.

Institutional Support systems

vi.

Funding

3.1.1 Post-graduate programmes A review of the post-graduate programmes offered by universities under the ISCED2011 indicate that programmes offered are heavily skewed towards the two categories of Humanities and Arts; and Social Science, Business and Law.

A comparison of the offerings and the national

development priorities shows that there is a mismatch between programmes offered and programmes geared towards the county’s development agenda. Policy Statement This policy therefore advocates that universities should: 1. Collectively increase the number of post-graduate programmes in the ISCED2011 framework areas of Health and Welfare, Agriculture, and Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction; and 2. Align their research agendas to the national development priority areas and sustainable development goals. 3.1.2 Institutional Policies and Regulations Universities have graduate school policies and regulations to guide the training of postgraduate students. These policies and regulations also serve as the main documents guiding postgraduate education, providing direction to both faculty and students on institutional expectations and requirements for successful completion of the students' programmes. Most universities have also National Policy on Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya

developed research policies that further emphasize the research component of postgraduate training.

Most policies are however not readily accessible by students and staff. In addition,

many policies and regulations have not been updated in a long time or exist in numerous versions with confusion over which is the official approved version. In addition, many of the universities’ research policies tend to be inward looking with little emphasis on multi-institutional research collaboration, a key ingredient in today's research landscape. Further, a look at individual policies shows identification of institutional research priority areas that tend to be a reflection of the various institutional academic programmes with little emphasis on collaborative research outputs or any specific reference to national research priorities as captured in the national development agenda. Policy Statement

This policy therefore advocates that universities ensure that: i.

The policy statements presented here are adequately captured in their respective policies and regulations;

ii.

They put in place processes to ensure that policies touching on post-graduate training and research are regularly updated within a period not exceeding five years;

iii.

Official, approved post-graduate training and research policy documents and regulations are posted on respective university websites for ease of access by students and staff;

iv.

Key elements in all post-graduate training and research policies and regulations pertaining to post-graduate training are compiled together with other relevant information into a graduate student handbook. The handbook should be readily accessible by all graduate students and staff;

v.

The policy documents to address the key areas addressed here below are developed and implemented; and

vi.

Through their research policies mechanisms are put in place that seek to make generated research output more relevant, while increasing opportunities for research funding by: (a) Aligning the institutions' research agendas to national development priority areas and sustainable development goals; National Policy on Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya

(b) Partnering with businesses and non-profit organizations in research and innovation to make the businesses more competitive and create high-quality jobs for new graduates 3.1.3 Students Admission Admission Requirements Minimum admission requirements for post-graduate training in Kenya are similar across all universities as stated below. i.

Doctor of Philosophy: Masters degree from recognized institutions;

ii.

Masters Degree: Minimum of upper second class honours undergraduate degree in the relevant discipline from a recognized university or equivalent qualification from institutions recognized by senates of the universities. Persons with lower qualifications but with publications and postgraduate diplomas after Bachelors' degrees are also considered for admission in a number of programmes.

iii.

Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates: Minimum of a pass undergraduate degree.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree applicants are normally required to prepare a research concept indicating their area of interest with registration to the programme based on approval of the research proposal. Often departments discuss the application, followed by further discussions by the postgraduate faculty to determine the relevance and possible matching to supervisors. However, this works well in situations where the number of students is small compared to the number of faculty members. Key challenges are experienced when students are admitted after attaining the minimum admission requirements, with no further determination of the suitability to PhD research work, or a possible match with a supervisor who would provide the technical expertise.

In addition, programmes where PhD is undertaken by thesis and research presupposes that research skills had been obtained at a Masters level. Supervisors thus often complain about candidates who are unwilling, or unable to conduct serious research. Capacity for research thus needs to be assessed critically to ensure that undue delays are not sustained in the graduate schools. The Masters degrees typically requires submission of undergraduate certificates and transcripts. Where candidates have a lower second degree they will often be required to submit evidence of mitigating factors such as years of post-qualification experience and/or publications.

No

assessment of capacity to undertake research is done, with the assumption that a mandatory National Policy on Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya

Research Methods course taken in their first year of study will fill the gap. Passing this course presupposes capacity to undertake research work. An additional major challenge faced by universities is the need to raise revenue to support their day-to-day operations. Popular masters programmes such as MBA and Masters in Education have seen not only a significant rise in numbers of post-graduate students, but also a corresponding rise in tuition fees. There is a conflict between the need to admit more students as a means of income generation and the desire to ensure quality of the students admitted. This has often seen the need to increase numbers supersede the adherence to enhanced admission requirements. The number of recurring students in these disciplines, therefore may become too large inevitably putting a strain on the resources, and affecting the efficiency of the postgraduate system in general. It leads to increasingly large numbers of postgraduate students who need supervision. One approach to address this issue is to introduce suitable metrics that allow the universities to keep track of students as they progress. On such metric is the Pile up Effect measure that indicates the state of affairs where students remain enrolled for their degrees much longer than expected. It is the proportion of ongoing enrolment as a share of total enrolments. The long term goal of keep track of this and other metrics is to ensure that efficiency and effectiveness of postgraduate training is enhanced. Policy Statement To address these challenges, this policy advocates that: i.

Universities should only admit the number of students into a programme that they can manage without compromising the quality of training and supervision.

ii.

Universities should measure and keep track of monitor metrics such as the pile up effect to avoid adverse effects on supervision quality and ultimately the quality of training.

iii.

Admission into programmes should be based on on-going research or supervisors with research interests in students’ proposed areas of study.

iv.

The government should increase funding to universities in support of day-to-day operations to reduce the pressure on admission of increased numbers primarily for revenue generation. Funding should come in the form of grants to support research and support graduate students, as well as funds to support teaching assistants. National Policy on Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya

Internationalization of the Post-Graduate Student body Attracting students from all over the globe to come to Kenyan universities to conduct post-graduate research provides a diverse range of views and experiences that has a positive impact on the quality, breadth and depth of research conducted. In addition international students may provide a significant economic impact to the institutions they attend. Currently the international students in the universities in Kenya stands at only 1% of the total enrolment. Policy Statement To address this issue, this policy advocates that: 1. Universities should determine their own strengths with an understanding of the factors that motivate prospective international students; and 2. Universities should execute a focused recruitment and retention effort. 3.1.4 The Learning Environment Supervision Supervision is central to post-graduate research training. A number of challenges exist in relation to supervision. For instance in the process of matching supervisors and candidates. Some academic units select supervisors with little input from the candidates. In these cases, there seems to be no standard criteria adopted other than the willingness of the supervisors to work with the students. In addition, there is often a mismatch between the students' research areas and the supervisors' areas of expertise. This is especially true in programmes where there is a large number of students as compared to supervisors. Further, universities either do not have or do not adhere to supervision load limits. With the growing number of post-graduate students there has not been commensurate growth in staff numbers especially in the social sciences. Supervisors are forced to handle the large undergraduate numbers, coupled with a sizeable number of postgraduate students. Admissions into post-graduate programmes rarely take into account supervision capacity, resulting in many programmes, especially in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences having faculty supervising students’ numbers far in excess of the recommended.


Policy Statement This policy therefore advocates that universities institute policies and regulations which ensure that: i.

Students are actively involved in the process of identification of and are properly matched with their supervisors;

ii.

Faculty members do not supervise students in areas for which the faculty have no expertise;

iii.

Faculty members do not supervise more post-graduate students than contained in the regulations and standards by the Commission for University Education;

iv.

Junior post-graduate faculty undergo mentorship from senior faculty and formal training in supervision;

v.

Junior post-graduate faculty are restricted from serving as the main supervisor of a PhD candidate until successful completion of a post-graduate supervision training, and supervision of at least one PhD student as a secondary supervisor;

vi.

Processes are put in place to measure supervisor performance by tracking the ratio of discontinuing and transferring students to completing students for each post-graduate faculty member, among other measures. In cases of poor supervision performance, appropriate remedial measures should be taken; and

vii.

Through the relevant academic unit, supervisors who can no longer continue in that role are suitably replaced.

Monitoring Progress Nearly all university graduate schools or equivalent academic units have put policies in place that require regular update reports by supervisors on students’ progress. This is to assist students to make good progress through their academic programme, and complete their studies on time. It also allows the university to take appropriate measures where problems are identified. This reporting process, however, is rarely adhered to. On completion of coursework, or for programmes based solely on research, monitoring research progress has been difficult except for those students who are part of research project teams where inherent reporting guidelines help in tracking the student research output.


Further, it is not unusual for students to spend several years between completion of coursework and graduation, with some falling completely off the radar. Currently, there are no sanctions for progress reports not being submitted, nor for students attempting to complete their post-graduate work long after the prescribed maximum residence periods. For the latter, the students' research areas have often dramatically changed, rendering their topic of study outdated. The lack of regular monitoring of research progress, coupled with excessively long programme completion times have degraded the quality of the research training and relevance of the research output. Policy Statement This policy therefore advocates that universities put in place and enforce systems, policies and regulations which ensure that: i.

Post-graduate students progress reports and feedback are regularly provided and treated with the seriousness of examinations;

ii.

Where challenges are identified with student progress, appropriate and timely interventions should be taken;

iii.

Universities at any given time should know the exact number of post-graduate students enrolled in their programmes, and at what stage the students have reached towards completion of their studies;

iv.

Students who despite the best efforts of the university and without any extenuating circumstances are unable to complete their studies within the prescribed timelines, are discontinued; and

v.

Appropriate metrics should be developed and implemented to monitor the quality of postgraduate training. These should include metrics to: (a) Monitor progress through the degree (b) Determine level of exposure to interdisciplinary and global research experiences (c) Measure research impact (d) Measure rates of completion and attrition (e) Track career placement after completion


Examination Coursework examination for post-graduate students follows the same process as undergraduate programmes. Students sit and write the exams at the end of the semester in which the course is taught. On passing the required coursework begin the research. This applies for all Masters and PhD programmes that have coursework. Where applicable, post-graduate students on average complete their coursework within the prescribed timelines. This is primarily because the sessions are time bound and controls are effective. The research stage however, is less structured, requires better personal time-management and greater one-on-one support from faculty supervisors. It is during this stage that the majority of post-graduate students begin to lag behind, and some actually drop out. Further, the thesis examination process begins in the department level where internal and external examiners are selected for each candidate. The examiners are vetted from the department level to the Senate to determine their academic capacity to examine the specific thesis. The thesis is sent to the examiners for assessment to be returned within a specified period of time. It is common for significant delays to occur during this examination process. This may be due to a combination of factors including large number of students to be examined against a small post-graduate faculty pool, a mismatch between the research topic and the examiners area of expertise, and a lack of sanction for delay in submission of thesis examinations and perceived low remunerations for examination. Policy Statement This policy therefore advocates that universities put in place and enforce systems, policies and regulations which ensure that: i.

Thesis examination timelines are appropriately communicated and adhered to by the examiners;

ii.

Examiners load is kept within the policy guidelines such that stated examination timelines are met without compromising quality;

iii.

There is an appropriate match between students’ research topics and examiners areas of expertise.

iv.

There is benchmarked remunerations for thesis examination.


Plagiarism Plagiarism can be defined as the action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own. The ease of access to information in electronic form through the internet coupled with the rise in student numbers has created a major constraint in ensuring the integrity of student’s research output. There is ample evidence of students downloading documents from the internet and using them with little or no acknowledgement. In several extreme cases, some students have copied entire thesis documents and attempted to pass it as their own research work. Plagiarism not only degrades the quality of research output, but lowers the academic standing and reputation of the institution. Universities have attempted to use several different plagiarism detection systems with various levels of success. This includes consultation, plagiarism detection software, online tools and development of plagiarism policies. In addition, a number of universities also require PhD candidates to publish at least one paper from their research in a journal. This allows for exposure of the work to the larger academic audience, ensuring that the originality of the research is assessed by peer reviewers. Policy Statement This policy therefore advocates that universities put in place and enforce systems, policies and regulations which ensure that: i.

All postgraduate students and staff are sensitised on what constitutes plagiarism;

ii.

All submitted theses and dissertations are subjected to anti-plagiarism software; and

iii.

Anti-plagiarism regulations be instituted in all universities

iv.

In cases where blatant plagiarism is detected, stern action is taken according to the universities' respective disciplinary procedures.


3.1.5. Institutional Support Systems Universities are striving to provide support infrastructure for graduate students. This includes specialized libraries or carrels in libraries, research and computer laboratories, and internet access. The older public universities provide internet access to all students, usually on wireless networks. There are also significant electronic resource material available through a consortium of universities libraries that provides a wealth or research literature. Non-staff graduate students do not have office or working space in most universities. In the older universities there is limited space provided for graduate students, usually in the library. There are few dedicated research laboratories and so science students make do with the general laboratories. This is especially critical where students are enrolled into laboratory-based research post-graduate programmes, without the necessary research laboratory facilities. Libraries rarely have special services for graduate students and with graduate students competing with large number of undergraduate students for the limited facilities. In an attempt to mitigate for the lack of adequate spaces, libraries are now emphasizing e-resources made accessible to graduate students. This is working well in the established universities. The younger universities are still struggling to provide these basic facilities, with students often lacking access to the latest ejournals and e-books, a minimum requirement for quality research. Publications of research results form a key component of research training, yet prior to postgraduate work, the majority of students have no experience or exposure on how to right a journal paper. The challenges in distilling research results from theses and dissertations into conference or journal publications, has been a significant contributor to the low conversion rate. Policy Statement This policy therefore advocates that universities ensure that: i.

Students are admitted into laboratory-based programmes only where adequate laboratory facilities are available;

ii.

Despite financial constraints, current internationally recognised e-journals are made accessible to students and faculty for the programmes the universities offers;

iii.

Wireless networks to be put in place to allow students to use their own hardware National Policy on Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya

devices to access crucial electronic resources; and iv.

Dedicated postgraduate computers laboratories be made available for those students who may not have their own hardware devices.

v.

Libraries strengthen collaboration for resource sharing

vi.

Training in communication skills, especially academic paper writing, be provided as part of the curriculum or as a separate non-examinable module.

3.1.6 Funding Universities are currently torn between the need to maintain quality in research training by admitting the appropriate number of students in relation to the post-graduate staff, on the one hand, and the need to raise revenue for the day to day operations of the university on the other. In addition, universities are unable to provide scholarships to the large number of graduate students. A few scholarships are available in the form of Graduate Assistants and Tutorial Fellows that are offered as part of staff development in public universities. Some universities have been able to establish research funds to support research activities. For the majority of universities, their research funding portfolios as a percentage of their total budget remains very small. Further, for cases where research funds have been received, faculty members often experience challenges in accessing those funds when required. Policy Statement To reverse this trend and inculcate a research culture with adequate funds to support research training, this policy advocates that: i.

In line with current policy, the government fund a significant number of post-graduate student teaching assistantships in both public and private universities. The students would attain their PhDs, and serve as teaching assistants to support the increased undergraduate enrolments. The merit based selection will increase the quality of admitted students;

ii.

Universities review their research agenda and align it with the government's national development agenda and priorities, making the universities better able to attract external funding;

iii.

Universities develop a funded research culture by training faculty members on grant research proposal writing, providing support mechanisms to staff to identify potential National Policy on Post Graduate Research and Training in Kenya

sources of funding and assist faculty in the proposal development process; Universities put in place mechanisms to ensure that faculty who attract external

iv.

funding are able to have the funds disbursed in a timely manner, and that the procurement process for research inputs does not delay the research work; and Universities develop strategies to grow their research grant portfolios to be at least

v.

10% of their budget. Public Funding and Research Results Research funded through public funds generate research data that are a public good, produced in the public interest, which should therefore be made openly available with as few restrictions as possible. This should be in a timely and responsible manner that does not compromise intellectual property. Free and open access to publicly-funded research offers significant social and economic benefits. These should be available to researchers, as well as other potential users, for example, businesses, charitable and public sector organisations, and to the general public. Policy Statement To serve as a catalyst for increased public funding for research, and to ensure that publicly funded research has a more relevance and a higher impact on society, this policy advocates that: i. Universities put measures in place where without compromising on intellectual property, public funded research results are made openly and freely available. ii.

Where appropriate and without compromising intellectual property, research data generated from public funds be made freely and openly available for secondary research.
