Prof Fred Otieno, the Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa will on Friday deliver a public lecture at the University. The topic of the lecture will be:
The challenges facing a typical University and suggestions on how to enhance undergraduate and post graduate training and research.
Summary of the Lecture
The number of universities that have mushroomed across many countries in the recent past is worrying. While there is national quality assurance via a registration system in a number of countries, the system is not always followed by strict monitoring and evaluation. The universities themselves once registered also need to work towards excellence.
The competition created by the large number of universities and indeed the desire of them to become internationally recognised places great pressure on the management of these. The recent international ranking is also not making it easier for many institutions to attract and retain not only students but staff as well. In order to stay viable and relevant in the ever increasing competitive market, many institutions have tended to be lured towards “lowering” of their standards so as to keep their business and livelihoods afloat. Coupled with these challenges, students and their parents are also becoming quite innovative in their search for their preferred module of training as well as for education institutions tailored to their needs.
This means not only excellence but also entrepreneurship in all our activities at all levels, namely undergraduate, postgraduate, research and development (R&D), community outreach and service delivery to all our stake holders is paramount. Those institutions that amply comply with these criteria and remain financially sustainable will be able to compete both nationally and internationally.
This lecture outlines issues and challenges facing typical universities and highlights aspects that such universities need to attend to in order to position themselves towards excellence and international recognition and appeal.
A Brief Biography of Prof Fred Otieno
Prof Otieno holds a BSc (Civil Eng) from the University of Nairobi, and MSc and PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. He also holds a MBA. He has over 27 years work experience. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers (FSAICE), Senior Fellow of the Institute of Waste Management of South Africa (SFIWMSA), Corporate Member of the Institution of Municipal Engineering of South Africa, and Fellow of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (FWISA). He was President of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) for the year 2007/2008. He is also a Professional Engineer in Kenya, South Africa and the UK.
He previously worked as a consulting engineer, researcher and entrepreneur in civil and environmental management. He has previously consulted and continues to consult in his areas of specialization for a number of organizations in the private sector, local authorities, NGOs, Government Departments, UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO, and the World Bank amongst others. Professor Otieno sits on a number of Boards as a non-executive Director, amongst these being SoftstartBTI, The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), and Randwater.
He is a member of the Governing Council of the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Board and Council Member of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), and Board Member of the Engineering Standards Generating Body of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).
He has carried out research in a number of disciplines and projects, culminating in various research reports and over 50 refereed journal publications and over 90 refereed conference proceedings. He is a rated Scientist with the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa.
By Martin Nginyi
