By Mohammed Doyo
Moi University is one of the few good universities in Kenya but it
would be among the very best in the country if it realized we are21st
century era where technology is everything. Moi lags behind when it
comes to adopting digital methods in providing services. Which feeling
crosses your mind when you see a queue of over a thousand first year
students lining up just to get registered while the same service would
have been provided by the click of the mouse from home on available
reliable soft wares?
It always baffles me why our university
is reluctant in adopting technology yet in every school and department,
information technology related courses are common! The school of
information sciences purely offers tech-related courses while the school
of engineering offers advanced ones such as computer and software
engineering. The big question, which sages have asked in different
epochs is: why offer these courses to impart students with skills and
knowledge to be useful in the ‘outside world’ while our ‘inside world’
is in desperate need of technology? How hard is it to liase with these
students the lecturers or the alumni to develop soft wares which can
improve service delivery in the campus?
‘Queuing with a
difference’ should have been our motto. From the mess, to the cashier,
to first year student registration, getting exam results, to the
university’s only health unit, you won’t miss the queues, thanks to the
manual ‘ISO certified’ ways of enhancing service delivery. Last year,
first year students were fainting in the long queues after standing for
over six hours amidst pouring rains and the usual Eldoret’s chilly
weather. This time round, it’s bound to be worse! The varsity has
augmented its first year enrollment to over 4500 in main campus alone
which means the queues will be longer!
Higher institutions of
learning such as Kenyatta, JKUAT and University of Nairobi will speak of
student portal, which involves databases of all students available in a
single software. The students can pay fees, get exam results, book
residential houses online. In Moi, student portal is purely a foreign
word. A factor that has over the years made us totally different!
After all aren’t we a university with a difference?
In other
news, many students have lodged serious complains on the 3rd Eye wall,
against the dysfunctional Moi University website, the only online
presence the university has. Claims of the server being down most of
the times, unavailable information on the website, outdated information
continue to flow in day in day out! This situation ought to be
corrected as soon as possible. By the way, is anyone from the ICT
department, that is if it happens to exists, reading this?
The
perennial gargantuan problem of room booking and allocation is here.
The accommodation field has been clogged by impunity, the game of who is
who in the university and the usual politics of the known for the known
thanks to the manual balloting and room allocations allowing room for
manipulation by the ‘strong forces’ in the campus. When will
accommodation field take the technological step? The chief
administrative officer Professor sang, the hostel manager Chesang, The
housekeeper Mrs. Tanui and accommodation director Ogega should answer
that.
MUSO Directors must wake up from their deep slumber and
push for the adoption of technology, a topic that has been dominant in
all the past campaigns period! In previous occasions, the SGC has cited
the university’s rigidness in implementing changes especially in the
technology field but the big question remains: for how long will we,
the students continue to use manual services in this ISO certified
institution while digital services can be made available? Only time will
tell.
The writer is a second year journalism student and the immediate former Features Editor of the 3rd Eye.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
WHEN WILL THE CONFUSION END?
By Mohammed Doyo
First years are a confused and a disappointed lot; this comes after the university decided to change their reporting dates, literally at the eleventh hour. Many students and critics alike have termed the decision as the worst ever regarding the opening dates. As you read this now, Hundreds of first year students who already had started their journey to Moi , before the change of the reporting date was made, are stranded in their respective campuses not knowing their fate. Some came as early as yesterday evening and braved the chilly Eldoret weather the whole night. And as at now, they just can’t figure out the next course of action. Honestly speaking, not only is this ‘abrupt communication’ on the change of the dates outrageous, deeply inconveniencing but also unconvincing and inconsiderate
This is not the first time the administration has made such rush decisions concerning the opening dates. In fact the fourth years have gotten used to this never ending ‘changes in the dates’ phenomena. They have learnt to approach the whole idea of reporting dates with the skepticism it deserves. They were to report on June, then came the august date that slowly metamorphosed to end October which has now swiftly transformed to November 6 in the last 24 hours!
While the university is citing the accommodation crisis as the reason to why the abrupt decision of the dates was made, it is clear that the chief decision makers of the university are incompetent, insensitive and poor planners! Who plans the exam timetable? Is there any communication between the administration and the examinations department? If yes, wasn’t the administration aware that some first years, second years and third years would not have finished their second semester exams by 1st and 4th of November respectively? How hard was it to reason that continuing students would still be occupying the hostels? Wasn’t it pretty realistic then, that reporting of first and fourth years in the first week of November was impossible? Couldn’t the administration have seen this even before the commencement of exams and adjusted the dates accordingly rather than shocking the first and fourth years in the last minute? This must be the epitome of myopia blended in poor decision making skills!
Almost every school and department is bombarded with communication, organization, leadership, critical thinking, management and problem solving courses yet the same curriculum developers, implementers and overseers do not practice what they teach in those crowded lecture halls! It is without doubt poor management has resulted to all these problems of reporting dates.
Second years have been made to believe they will report back on 25th Feb. 2013 yet the general elections will be held on 4th march 2013. All factors remaining constant, is this date even close to reality? Third years who are leaving for attachment, are they even sure when they are to resume? These problems of communication dates will keep recurring year in year out, thanks to the poor planners and administrators occupying the administration block for over three decades now! The big question is: who will stand up against these ‘bureaucratic’ inefficiencies’ that have constantly and consistently made the university, a hub of problems?
And now to the problem of first year reporting today, the administration must take the responsibility of providing them with accommodation or the transport fares back, plus compensate the students and their accompanying guardians/parents for making them incur unnecessary expenses. The Doghana-Dikembe led SGC as well as the CST must be on the ground to see justice is done to these innocent victims of circumstances.
Mohammed Doyo is a 2nd year journalism student and immediate former Features editor of the 3rd Eye.
First years are a confused and a disappointed lot; this comes after the university decided to change their reporting dates, literally at the eleventh hour. Many students and critics alike have termed the decision as the worst ever regarding the opening dates. As you read this now, Hundreds of first year students who already had started their journey to Moi , before the change of the reporting date was made, are stranded in their respective campuses not knowing their fate. Some came as early as yesterday evening and braved the chilly Eldoret weather the whole night. And as at now, they just can’t figure out the next course of action. Honestly speaking, not only is this ‘abrupt communication’ on the change of the dates outrageous, deeply inconveniencing but also unconvincing and inconsiderate
This is not the first time the administration has made such rush decisions concerning the opening dates. In fact the fourth years have gotten used to this never ending ‘changes in the dates’ phenomena. They have learnt to approach the whole idea of reporting dates with the skepticism it deserves. They were to report on June, then came the august date that slowly metamorphosed to end October which has now swiftly transformed to November 6 in the last 24 hours!
While the university is citing the accommodation crisis as the reason to why the abrupt decision of the dates was made, it is clear that the chief decision makers of the university are incompetent, insensitive and poor planners! Who plans the exam timetable? Is there any communication between the administration and the examinations department? If yes, wasn’t the administration aware that some first years, second years and third years would not have finished their second semester exams by 1st and 4th of November respectively? How hard was it to reason that continuing students would still be occupying the hostels? Wasn’t it pretty realistic then, that reporting of first and fourth years in the first week of November was impossible? Couldn’t the administration have seen this even before the commencement of exams and adjusted the dates accordingly rather than shocking the first and fourth years in the last minute? This must be the epitome of myopia blended in poor decision making skills!
Almost every school and department is bombarded with communication, organization, leadership, critical thinking, management and problem solving courses yet the same curriculum developers, implementers and overseers do not practice what they teach in those crowded lecture halls! It is without doubt poor management has resulted to all these problems of reporting dates.
Second years have been made to believe they will report back on 25th Feb. 2013 yet the general elections will be held on 4th march 2013. All factors remaining constant, is this date even close to reality? Third years who are leaving for attachment, are they even sure when they are to resume? These problems of communication dates will keep recurring year in year out, thanks to the poor planners and administrators occupying the administration block for over three decades now! The big question is: who will stand up against these ‘bureaucratic’ inefficiencies’ that have constantly and consistently made the university, a hub of problems?
And now to the problem of first year reporting today, the administration must take the responsibility of providing them with accommodation or the transport fares back, plus compensate the students and their accompanying guardians/parents for making them incur unnecessary expenses. The Doghana-Dikembe led SGC as well as the CST must be on the ground to see justice is done to these innocent victims of circumstances.
Mohammed Doyo is a 2nd year journalism student and immediate former Features editor of the 3rd Eye.
ABORTED ADMISSION
By Jally Kihara
Some of the 2011 first year group have reported to Moi University Main Campus despite yesterday's abrupt advertisement to media houses that the dates have been rescheduled to Monday 5th November, 2012.
Those who have reported have been directed to report to their respective faculties for registration.
According to Mr. Muriithi the dean of students, the first years will be sent back after registration until 5th November 2012 as agreed in yesterday's ad hoc meeting.
"We had an urgent meeting yesterday and we agreed the incoming group cannot be accommodated since the current first years have not cleared out of their rooms.... they will go back until next week" Mr. Muriithi said in his office.
The dean's office is blaming the examinations coordinators for throwing the university into the current crisis. He argues that coordinators made changes to examination dates for continuing students which have been agreed on as plans for admitting the 2011 group were laid.
Asked whether somebody will take responsibility for the current situation which many have termed as a result of long term mismanagement in this institution, the dean was quick to say that people should just understand.
However, an exam coordinator who sought anonymity rubbished the blame by the dean's office. He says it was impractical for the dates to remain as they were due to time slots and availability of exam venues.
"We told them that the dates had to change but nothing was done. In management, people should stop being rigid in making decisions and consult to see sense where there is. we can't just change dates for nothing." Said a devastated exam administrator.
Amid all this crisis in Main Campus, the students together with their parents have continued to lament against the confusion they have been subjected to.
" I have nothing to do but I feel bad that I will again go back. I had received a letter to report on 22nd October, I came here only to be told to go back and come today (29th October, 2012). Again i am told to go back and come on 5th November." Bill, who will be joining for a Bachelor of Science in Informatics, told the The 3rd Eye.
The 3rd Eye investigations have also revealed that the usual game of 'who-knows-who' is rolling with some people securing accommodation on the few spaces available.
Some of the 2011 first year group have reported to Moi University Main Campus despite yesterday's abrupt advertisement to media houses that the dates have been rescheduled to Monday 5th November, 2012.
Those who have reported have been directed to report to their respective faculties for registration.
According to Mr. Muriithi the dean of students, the first years will be sent back after registration until 5th November 2012 as agreed in yesterday's ad hoc meeting.
"We had an urgent meeting yesterday and we agreed the incoming group cannot be accommodated since the current first years have not cleared out of their rooms.... they will go back until next week" Mr. Muriithi said in his office.
The dean's office is blaming the examinations coordinators for throwing the university into the current crisis. He argues that coordinators made changes to examination dates for continuing students which have been agreed on as plans for admitting the 2011 group were laid.
Asked whether somebody will take responsibility for the current situation which many have termed as a result of long term mismanagement in this institution, the dean was quick to say that people should just understand.
However, an exam coordinator who sought anonymity rubbished the blame by the dean's office. He says it was impractical for the dates to remain as they were due to time slots and availability of exam venues.
"We told them that the dates had to change but nothing was done. In management, people should stop being rigid in making decisions and consult to see sense where there is. we can't just change dates for nothing." Said a devastated exam administrator.
Amid all this crisis in Main Campus, the students together with their parents have continued to lament against the confusion they have been subjected to.
" I have nothing to do but I feel bad that I will again go back. I had received a letter to report on 22nd October, I came here only to be told to go back and come today (29th October, 2012). Again i am told to go back and come on 5th November." Bill, who will be joining for a Bachelor of Science in Informatics, told the The 3rd Eye.
The 3rd Eye investigations have also revealed that the usual game of 'who-knows-who' is rolling with some people securing accommodation on the few spaces available.
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