Online learning takes shape in Kenya as Doba Faculty introduces Master's Degree programme

BY DAN MUHUNI

As the institutions of higher learning  fraternity continues to make forays into the Kenyan segment, an increasing number of universities have seen the importance of taking advantage of the advancement of technology by introducing virtual learning institutions. DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social Studies, a Europe-based institution is one of the universities that plan to valve into it and also benefit from growing demand in Africa for overseas university degrees.

Ms Jasna Dominko Baloh, Director DOBA Faculty

Speaking during the launch of its online Master’s degree Programme for the African market in a Nairobi hotel today, the Director of the Faculty, Ms Jasna Dominko Baloh, said e-learning would help many people with limited time and finance advance their education from their home countries at affordable fees.

 “Online learning is an alternative for those who are unable to attend face to face lectures due to their career or family commitments, such as full-time employed people who want to advance in their career, young adults with active lifestyles and young mothers with limited free time,” Ms Baloh added.

DOBA is the latest entrant into the market as European-based higher learning institutions are targeting a growing number of people in Africa seeking overseas university degrees by introducing cost-effective online programs for the region.

The Faculty is targeting those employed in diplomatic organizations and multinationals, entrepreneurs, middle management, civil servants, alumni of bachelor programmes and young people aged between 19 and 25 years old.

The Faculty’s flagship course will be the Masters Programme in International Business Management, which will cost Sh 406, 117 (U$4.695) per academic year.

The objective of the Faculty is to prepare students for solving practical business problems and challenges in their future careers, for the challenges of the business world that requires great flexibility and an individual, innovative and creative approach.  European recognized degree.

“We develop professionally successful, personally happy and satisfied graduates, who will contribute to the greater competitiveness of the economy. Our success is the quality knowledge, employability and permanent satisfaction of our alumni.56% of graduates experienced positive changes in their workplace immediately after graduating,” said Ms Baloh.

DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social Studies holds the honour of being the first and only higher education institution in South-Eastern Europe to receive the UNIQUe international certification for quality in e-learning which is awarded by the European Foundation for Quality in e-Learning.

Online learning with DOBA Faculty offers a truly global experience. Students have the opportunity to study in internationally varied groups and work with other students who bring new ideas as well as their own professional and cultural experiences enriching the learning process. This cultural exchange provides added value to our programmes. During the whole programme students are monitored and guided by a tutor, who is available to you 7 days a week.

“Our students have numerous opportunities for networking and strengthening both business and private connections in the European Union and Africa through: the online Master’s programme, various programme-related activities, and active participation in the alumni club,” Ms Baloh said. 

The Faculty employs a state-of-the-art virtual learning platform known as the Blackboard Learn to support Online students.  The platfom allows students access all information that is needed for the course, including course materials, chat rooms, discussion forums on their computers or mobile phone and tablet.

DHL commits to transform education by accelerating access to computers

  By Dan Muhuni 

 Global express and logistics company DHL Express in its efforts to improve education services in Kenya by accelerating access to computers, has donated laptops to Zawadi Africa Education Fund. This comes as the company aligns its plan to support education activities targeting the girl child in Kenya.

Apart from donating learning equipment to various learning institutions in Kenya, the company will also engage in the provision of internship opportunities to boost the employer-bility of school leavers in the country. 

(Left) Peter Kuya IT Area Manager describing computer features to Mr. Kenneth Kaunda Human Resource Manager DHL Express and Mrs. Anne Kyoya Executive Director Zawadi Educational fund.

 Speaking at the event DHL Express Kenya Country Director Alan Cassels said the company through its ‘Go Teach’ corporate responsibility platform will support government effort to ease access to quality education.  

Under the partnership, DHL Express Kenya will also provide the expertise of its employees to build competencies and skills at a personal and professional level, providing both career and life advice to the young girls.  

The Zawadi Africa Educational Fund is a leadership development program that provides university scholarships and leadership development and life-skills training for academically gifted but financially disadvantaged African girls, with the objective of developing a pipeline of young African women leaders. 

“At DHL Express, we believe in engaging communities in causes that improve their welfare. We believe education is the most sustainable way of improving local people’s lives.  This initiative will bridge the gap within the transitional phase of high school to that of an independent productive member of the society,” said Mr. Cassels.

The donation is part of DHL’s comprehensive corporate social responsibility program structured along three pillars namely; Go Teach, for support of education activities; Go Green, for the environment; and Go Help, disaster management and prevention. 

“We are confident that this donation will be a major boost to our efforts as Zawadi Africa in empowering the African girl child to be further empowered and equipped to make significant contributions to their communities. We are grateful to DHL for their worthy contribution and we look forward to furthering this partnership to enable us equip the girls with world-class education, and the right character development,” said Ms Ann Kyoya , Zawadi Africa Education Fund Executive Director.

Governments efforts to bring sanity in Mobile telephony sector in Kenya frustrated

 By Dan Muhuni

Kenyan Government in its efforts to bring sanity in the ever growing mobile telephony industry, are been frustrated by some unscrupulous Mobile phone operators who gives profit making a priority at the expense of the insecurity challenges we are currently facing.

The government through Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) come up with a well informed subscriber registration that was aimed at safeguarding the public against acts of insecurity including the widespread threats posed by terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, fraud, hate messages, and incitement that are now widespread around the country.

CCK Director General Mr Francis Wangusi says

CCK Director General Mr Francis Wangusi says that there is substantiation evidence of use of unregistered SIM cards on the mobile networks and early this week he demanded that the operators deactivate them or face prosecution.

This governments noble idea to have all the SIM cards registered and issued a directive to all mobile phone companies to be filing periodic date on SIM card registration but this efforts are frustrated by the same mobile phone operators who file doctored data with the Communication Commission of Kenya.

Mobile phone operators have the exclusive rights to control who uses their network and therefore they should be held accountable since they have given mobile terrorism a conducive environment for it to thrive but giving terrorist avenues to complete their mission.

Early this week we saw CEOs from this blatant companies trying to exonerate themselves from the blame BUT i ask this eminent question who is to blame in this SIM card registration hullabaloo?

Is it the government, Mobile telephone operators or the users? But the buck stops with Mobile phone operators……

It’s evident from the CCTV that was released to the media and can vividly see the terrorists using mobile phones to communicate.

Tomorrow we scrutinize the list of Mobile phone operators cooking data that is submitted to CCK. 

Mobile Phone Operators in Kenya have failed us

 By Dan Muhuni

I was personally baffled when I  yesterday saw Chief Executive Officers of leading mobile operators in the country so confident that ALL their active SIM cards are registered. I just hope they read the local dailies today which proved them wrong since they were able to purchase unregistered SIM cards and indeed were able to use them to make calls.

Lets start on Monday where a press conference was held at the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) headquarters where the government gave an arrest warning to all CEOs who will be found flaunting the SIM card regulation act.

PHOTO/ Courtesy The Standard

While addressing the media at the CCK headquarters on Monday Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said that the security agencies wanted to establish which mobile network(s) may have been used during the terrorist attack since they have hampered their investigations into the Westgate attackers.

CCK Director General Mr Francis Wangusi persisted that there was substantiation evidence of use of unregistered SIM cards on the mobile networks and demanded that the operators deactivate them or face prosecution. Mr Wangusi added that  security agents had since Saturday been able to buy pre-activated SIM cards from operators and continued to use them a claim that has ever since been confirmed.

 

Despite ICT secretary Fred Matiang’i  warning  that top executives of Kenya’s four mobile phone operators would be arrested and charged with allowing unregistered subscribers to use their networks and for facilitating the sale of pre-activated SIM cards. These unscrupulous mobile phone operators continue to hide their head in the sand about the issue of allowing unregistered SIM cards to use their network.

If the CCK directive on the SIM card registration is anything to go by then all CEOs of the concerned companies should be languishing behind the walls of Kamiti prison since they decided to ignore a government directive issued on 20th July 2009 requiring every communications service subscriber in the country to register his or her SIM card. I don’t see the reason they should not risk going to jail after it emerged on Monday that a number of mobile companies have not complied with a directive to register mobile numbers in a move police now believe has compromised state security.

This government directive was ignored by most of the mobile phone operators in the country who decided to keep their interests of profit making and in this i pose the question “Why do we have to put profits above national interest?....Against a well informed subscriber registration that was aimed at safeguarding the public against acts of insecurity including the widespread threats posed by terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, fraud, hate messages, and incitement that are now widespread around the country.

“We have discovered that criminals are obtaining SIM cards without registration facilitated by mobile operators hence CEOs of these operators who have flouted this rule bear criminal responsibility for compromising state security,” added Matiang'i.

Unregistered SIM cards owners had prior to the September date received a 90 days reprieve by the regulator to register their lines failure to which they would be permanently de-activated.

On Monday however Matiang'i and Mr Wangusi accused mobile operators of frustrating efforts by the Government to curb crime perpetrated by mobile phones by not registering new mobile subscribers.

“Mobile operators are failing in their corporate social responsibility by continuing to keep active networks on unregistered SIM cards. They are in turn endangering the national security of the country and this cannot be tolerated,” said Wangusi.

Matiang'i said mobile operators have 48 hours to deactivate all unregistered mobile numbers.

He added that agents caught selling unregistered lines face three years imprisonment and a fine of Sh 300,000 or both.

The officials spoke even as it emerged that lack of unregistered mobile numbers has been impacting negatively on ongoing investigations into the horrific Westgate Shopping Mall terror attack which Somali militants the Al Shabaab has already claimed responsibility. Images released by police captured on closed circuit television cameras from the Al Shabaab attackers showed the captors freely communicating to people believed to be their accomplices on mobile phones.

“It complicates issues when you cannot put a face to a mobile number because it is not registered or because the subscriber is using a fake mobile handset,” a highly placed Government source involved in the Westgate investigations on condition of anonymity told the writer.