Learner Support Services and Quality of Education in Public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

The enrolment and demand for university education across the world, has grown at an unprecedented rate especially in the 20th and 21st centuries. This has mainly been attributed to the private and social benefits associated with higher education. The governments, both in the developing and developed nations have worked tirelessly to provide access for university education to their citizens. Unfortunately, government funding for these institutions in Africa has been declining. The universities have been forced to operate under tight budgets and in many cases they have strained in provision of adequate learner support services thus compromising the quality of university education. This study sought to establish the adequacy and availability of academic guidance and advising services, guidance and counselling services, and financial advising and funding services and their influence on quality of education in public universities in Kenya. The study was exploratory in nature and was informed by Schlossberg’s Theory of Marginality (1989). The study was carried out in two public universities in Kenya, which were purposively sampled. The sample constituted 21 deans of schools and 411 fourth year students who were purposefully and randomly selected. The study found out that, even though various efforts were put in place by the two institutions, services related to academic guidance and advising, guidance and counselling and financial advising and funding were inadequate. The study contributes to the empirical evidence on the extent to which learner support services have been availed in the public universities in Kenya. It is hoped that the findings will be important to the university management and regulatory bodies in developing policies to strengthen learner support services in universities in Kenya.