November 29, 2010
Public or Private University, what’s your take?
Public University or Private University whats your take?
The debate between public and private universities is not new and neither is it going to become an old topic of discussion. I decided to put my head in the debate and put a few points across, it is not lime my contribution will end the debate, but it will be food for thought to many and will shed light in this endless debate. Let us begin with looking at what these two institutions are.
A public university is an institution that is government owned and run, while a private institution is privately owned by an individual or a group of people. That is a basic definition, delving deeper, a public university is state owned, is governed by the rules set by the legislature and is governed and controlled based on government statues. A private university on the other hand is set up and run according to the rules of a board of governors who decide who the institution should be run. These people are the ones, who invest their money in supporting the institution and decide how the institution will be run.
http://www.foundation-partnership.org/pubs/kenya/kenya_2007.pdf
Public and private universities have their similarities and differences. Both of them offer higher education and award certificates, diplomas, degrees, masters and PhD’s on successful completion of the program. However both of them offer different courses based on arts and sciences. Public universities offer a wide variety of courses ranging from agriculture, engineering to music among many others while private universities do not have a wide variety of courses that they offer, they basically specialize in some courses. There are even more private universities than there are public universities in Kenya.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_and_colleges_in_Kenya
In this country public universities are highly rated as compared to private ones. They are always in the news and receive backing from all quarters. They are more publicized as compared to private universities and always seem favored
People might argue that fees paid in private universities is high as compared to public, but remember public universities are state owned, they receive financial backing from the government, while private universities have to rely on well wishers, donors, sponsors and thus have to charge high rates so that they can survive and meet the many expenses. They need finances to be able to compete with their rivals and be able to attract students to join their institutions. Public universities are also not cheap, some of the courses offered cost a fortune and it amounts to the same that is been paid in private institutions. Law, medicine and engineering are some of the courses that are highly charged and students intending to pursue them have to part with huge sums of money. After all this is higher education, it definitely cannot be free and obviously not cheap.
http://gse.buffalo.edu/org/IntHigherEdFinance/files/Country_Profiles/Africa/Kenya.pdf
Public universities are highly overpopulated as compared to private ones and this leads in high competition in terms of resources and learning. If resources are few and limited, there will be a rush to try and access them, making it difficult for others to gain access to the resources. Private universities have a sizeable population, one that is manageable and who resources can be available for.
Some people prefer private universities because of the services they have which are of better quality compared to public universities. One of the reasons attributing to this has to do with the total number of students in the two kinds of universities. It is also one key attribute that popped up in the two interviews conducted. The students interviewed brought up the aspect of population in both kind of universities where they said public universities are densely populated as compared to public universities. “Public universities are very populated compared to private universities which are sparsely populated and I think public universities lecturers really do not have a one on one focus with the students like the private ones which lectures have no time with the students”, said a student in a public university.
In terms of the assets it is evident that the public universities are more established than their counterparts the private universities. This can be attributed to the fact that public universities are funded by the government. There is especially a difference when you compare the facilities and faculties that the universities have. You find that public universities are more equipped than the private universities. We therefore find that public universities are more upgraded in many more sectors compared to private universities.
This debate will not end anytime soon the choice is yours. Whether you like public or private universities is totally an individual’s choice. But I feel that we as a country should promote the state owned institutions because they were made for the ordinary mwananchi and they should take advantage of their resources. If you look at the face of public universities, they represent people from all over the country; they represent national unity and diversity. Private institutions, in my opinion are for the few elite who can afford them and don’t want the hustle and bustle of public life. They want to do things themselves and seclude themselves from others.
But one thing is for sure, whether public or private, at the end of the day, all are just trying to offer education and services to their customers. Whatever the course, amount, it is a matter of pursuing our various careers. We each have different talents and these institutions have realized that and are providing the avenues to harness these talents, so that they cam be used for the good for the benefit of the country.
Private or public, the choice is yours, just make sure you get good value for your money and achieve the goals you set when you joined your dream institution. After all the job market will not want to know if you came from a private or public university, it is the skills and knowledge that you acquired that will matter. So make sure you invest in your education.
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Absalom 07-1226
