Friday, September 14, 2007

COASTAL UNIVERSITY STATUS IS A REASON TO CELEBRATE

Coast given three public universitycolleges by the Government
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Coastweek - - Presidential political goodies or not, Coast people have every reason to be elated for being given three public university colleges by the Government of President Mwai Kibaki.

After more than forty years of independence and two successful governments of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi that span for all those years but five, the region had been marginalized in all aspects of developments particularly in education.

Other than the sparsely and least populated North Eastern province, all the country's other six provinces have public and private institutes of higher learning, or universities.
That is until when the head of state was visiting Coast province the last week of August.
In that Tuesday's Kenya Gazette President Kibaki upgraded six institutions in the country to university status, two of them located at the Coast.
This is a good reason to celebrate.

Although plans for Pwani University were already in the high gear after the government received the much needed financial boost from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but the Kibaki government still went ahead and upgraded Mombasa Polytechnic (or MIOME) to a university college status.
In addition Jomo Kenyatta University - Taita Taveta Campus, a constituent college of JKUCAT, will soon open its doors for students.
Coast people should not allow this educational development and or advancement be played down or trivialized by anyone.

When other provinces were being given 'political goodies" by the founding president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and his successor Daniel arap Moi, no one played down or trivialized the "goodies".
Why should the Coastal people allow that to happen now ?

With three university colleges in the province, the region now wants a constituent college or a satellite campus of Utalii College to be set up in Mombasa or Malindi.
As the backbone of the country tourism industry the Coast region deserves at least a satellite campus of Utalii College if not a fully fledged Utalii like college.

Education is the key to any and all developments.

Omar Ahmed Ali,
Philadelphia, U.S.A.

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