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Following a formal invitation from the SoE fraternity, the Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Prof. Olive Mugenda, together with members of University Management Board, made a spectacular unprecedented visit to the School of Education on the afternoon of Wednesday 22nd February 2012.  There was song and dance to welcome the Vice Chancellor (VC) as she entered the SoE Quadrangle. After signing the visitors’ book in the Dean’s office, and having a brief discussion with Chairpersons of Departments in the School Boardroom, the VC made a physical tour of the SoE Quadrangle, inspecting the general infrastructure and talking with staff as well as students who were studying in the vicinity. Thereafter, the VC proceeded to the Kenyatta University Conference Centre (KUCC) where the over 150 SoE academic staff members were awaiting to dialogue with her. There was brief moment of entertainment from the KUTT whose presentation aptly reflected the mood of the theme of the occasion titled; “Dialoguing for Teamwork & Greater Achievements in Quality Education services ’’. Before inviting the VC to talk to staff and share her vision of the School, the Dean, SoE, Prof. Fatuma Chege briefly outlined the issues of concern to the School and presented to the VC with a detailed memorandum that entailed the School’s vision of becoming a globally competitive hub of excellence in  university professional teacher education.
In her speech, the VC expressed appreciation for the invitation which she described as historical, adding that no School had ever invited her to their midst. The Vice Chancellor highlighted the current academic and infrastructural development that KU has made in line with the KU Strategic and Vision Plan (2005-2015). She revealed that in this Vision Plan, the SoE is among the very first Schools that would be elevated to college status, and would be called the School of Education and Lifelong Learning.  The VC went on to commend the SoE for excelling in student enrolment and completion, with the current population close to 15,000. Out of this population, approximately 1,200 are registered postgraduates (Masters and Doctoral levels). This notwithstanding, the VC also challenged the SoE to engage more in grants writing and fundraising so as to help in infrastructural and other physical developments of the University, which include the revival of Journals among other relevant activities. She encouraged the staff to venture vigorously into research activities and explore the use of modern technology in teaching and supervision, arguing that this would greatly help address the challenges of scarcity of human resource. During plenary session, members of staff responded to the VC’s speech in an open and frank manner while appreciating the honour of her visit.  The VC expressed appreciation for the invitation to dialogue and promised to study the SoE Memorandum with the aim of responding as appropriately as possible.

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Internal Links
The Department offers some of the core courses in education whilst relying primarily on the Schools of Humanities and Pure and Applied Sciences to provide the students with expertise in their chosen areas of specialization. We link closely with the Bureau of Educational Research, Kenyatta University. We collaborate closely with the Departments of Special Education, Educational Psychology, and Administration, Planning and Curriculum Development in research.

External Links

  • Currently we have a strong collaboration with the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE) of Hiroshima University. CICE incorporates other universities in Africa such as Makerere, Pretoria, University of Niger, Malawi, as well as Thailand and India.
  • The Department is also the main link in Kenya in a Department For International Development (DFID a UK Governmental Agency) funded research consortium hosted by Cambridge University involving more than 5 universities from Africa, Asia and Europe. Finally the Department has a link with the Danish University of Education. We are currently pursuing a link with Waseda University, Japan
  • Kenyatta University and Steno Diabetes Center Denmark




Research Activities
The Department is home to diverse research in education and contemporary themes. Some of the themes our postgraduate students are engaged in include:
• Violence and democracy in schools
• Life-long education
• Health education
• HIV/AIDS and refugee populations
• Philosophical foundations of curriculum
• Early childhood education
• Gender and education

Faculty members on the other hand, in their private research or departmental research are currently delving in the following areas:
• HIV/AIDS policy implementation in the education sector
• Gender, poverty and education outcomes
• Institutionalisation of gender studies in African universities
• Child labour and education


Academic Staff
The Department of Educational Foundations comprises esteemed women and men who have produced research reports and published papers in referred journals and textbooks relevant to educational practices and challenges of the present day. The members include 6 Professors, 9 Ph.D. holders (of whom 4 are women) and 2 female and 6 male members who are currently on staff development both locally and abroad. In total, the department has a teaching force of 23 faculty members and 6 non-teaching staff who offer supportive services.

Specialty and Branding
As the name implies, the Department of Educational Foundations offers foundational courses that provide learners with requisite knowledge to undertake and understand content in other disciplines. In this regard, the department is often referred to as the "mother" of other departments within the School of Education.
The department is one of the oldest within the school, and indeed Kenyatta University. This historical advantage has enabled us evolve and develop some of the best staff within the school.
When you join our Department, you will meet (and educationally speaking), interact with those whose ideas influence and shape the future of education. Indeed, we pride ourselves with having the largest number of professors in a given department. Books published by our faculty continue to serve as the basic reading material for education students across the universities. Due to the highly qualified staff, the department remains the prime provider in post graduate studies with many of our graduates now serving in sister universities in the country.

Undergraduate Students Intake:
All students pursuing Education, be they from the Joint Admissions Board, Open Learning or school based programmes must take the 4 units offered by the Department of Educational Foundations.
Course structure:
Four core areas of study are offered and are mandatory. These are:
• History of Education
• Sociology of Education
• Philosophy of Education and
• Comparative Education and
• Contemporary issues.

The ideal situation is for students to pursue these courses in the chronology above, each unit in one academic year.

Postgraduate Research and taught students Intake:

Masters - b10 students.
Ph.D. - 17 students.

Study Mode and Duration
Our guiding principal in the Department is to provide theoretical and practical skills for educational practice and human recourse development. The knowledge and skills are provided through various channels such as formal lectures, readings, seminars and tutorial discussions. The tutorial discussions enable a closer faculty-student relationship and mentoring.
Assessment

The mode of assessment comprises both practical presentations in tutorial discussions followed by submission of academic term papers, written Continous Assessment Tests and end of semester examinations.
Course Structure

The department currently offers Masters and Ph.D. programmes in 4 areas:
• History of Education
• Sociology of Education
• Philosophy of Education and
• Comparative Education and Contemporary Issues.

There are three Core units that all students must sit for. Thereafter, students specialise in their specific areas.

Study Mode and Duration
The most preferred mode of study is coursework, examination and thesis for M.Ed students. However, only thesis is accepted. It is offered for a two year duration. Phd work is mainly by thesis and covers 3 years for full time students and 6 years for part time students.
Resources
Our students mainly make reference of the Moi Library. The post graduate students in addition have access to the Basic Education Resource Centre (BERC), an establishment within the department that is well equipped with materials on education such as research reports, seminar papers, sessional papers and other related literature.
Student Destinations
While our students are mainly prepared to be secondary school teachers, most have found the courses useful in aiding placement in other sectors. Many of our students are now programme officers and work with various development and education related institutions. Those with postgraduate degrees are to be found serving in sister universities, a proof of the quality of provision of courses in the Department of Educational Foundations.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 February 2011 09:50