The University of Dundee's unique contribution to medical education in Africa has been recognised at a special ceremony in Nairobi when Principal Sir Alan Langlands conferred Master of Education degrees on 14 students who have completed their studies through distance learning with the University of Dundee.
Sir Alan was joined by Professor Sam Ongeri, Kenya's Minister for Public Health at the first graduation ceremony of a Scottish University in Kenya last week. The University of Dundee graduations were part of a massive ceremony which saw 4,000 students being conferred with degrees and diplomas in front of a crowd of 22,000 people.
The fourteen students, all teachers in the nursing faculty at the Kenya Medical Training College have been studying under the guidance of the University of Dundee's Centre for Medical Education to gain a qualification in nursing education. The Masters of Education degree equips its graduates with knowledge and skills to design and deliver the nursing curriculum ensuring a high standard of nursing education.
The institution has 23 colleges around the country and 6,000 students. More than 90% of the health workers in Kenya are trained by the KMTC. The fourteen graduates have previously gained diplomas from KMTC and have now achieved the required level to be awarded a Masters of Education from the University of Dundee through the distance learning programme.
The University of Dundee's links with Kenya were established ten years ago when a teacher from KMTC came to Dundee to study full time at the Centre for Medical Education. Paul Tuukuo, Principal of KMTC explains: "It costs a lot to send someone from Kenya to Dundee for full-time education. With about 120 KMTC teachers wishing to study the University of Dundee's Masters programme we decided that distance learning was a good option. Academics from the University of Dundee come to Nairobi to supervise on-site workshops which give the students practical experience and enhance their distance learning experience."
Paul Tuukuo, leading by example, graduated himself at the ceremony last week. His dissertation was on the issues surrounding the upgrading of KMTC to a degree awarding institution - a status he hopes KMTC will achieve within the next two years.
Principal Sir Alan Langlands said: "The graduation ceremony in Kenya marks a significant step forward in international collaboration in education. The links between the University of Dundee and KMTC show that students anywhere in the world can benefit from the excellent teaching and research carried out at the University of Dundee. The University is leading an international group of universities in establishing a virtual medical school which will allow students access to teaching and simulated learning at their personal PC. I was delighted to visit KMTC to confer Masters degrees on our first Kenyan graduates."
Dr Alistair Stewart, Educational Consultant at the University of Dundee: "Considering the large number of KMTC students working in the Kenyan health care system, the University of Dundee is making a significant contribution to improving health in Kenya by delivering skills in teaching and assessment to the nursing educators. Future graduates from KMTC will be better equipped to provide health care in the communities they serve."
The University of Dundee's Centre for Medical Education delivers teaching to students from over 60 countries both on site and by distance learning. A second group of Kenyan Masters students started studying with the centre earlier this year and some 40 teachers from KMTC's nursing faculty are currently enrolled in the undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing programme. A lecturer from KMTC will be visiting the University of Dundee in January to train as a local facilitator for the students studying through the Dundee centre in Kenya.