Challenges Encountered by the Deans, Chairs of the Academic Departments, and the Faculty in Training of Quality Graduates in the Universities

Abstract

Training of quality graduates in the universities requires a multifaceted approach at all levels of management. Universities having been accredited it is presumed that they have policies in place, appropriate curricula, resources, appropriate management structures, processes, and best management practices to support the training of quality graduates. Deans, Chairs of Academic departments, and faculty are key in ensuring that training of quality graduates is successfully attained by facilitating curriculum development, implementation and leadership, effective teaching and learning, and faculty support. This is made possible by identifying management practices that are important for each key area to ensure effectiveness and efficiency. However, the literature available indicates that Deans, Chairs of Academic departments, and faculty are not able to successfully identify and implement these best management practices due to several challenges encountered in day-to-day activities. These challenges affect the entire process of producing holistic graduates.  Therefore, the study set out to establish the challenges encountered by the Deans, Chairs of Departments, and faculty staff in implementing management practices in the universities with a view to training quality graduates. The research used a descriptive survey research design. The target population was the universities in Kenya where six universities were sampled. The study revealed that there exist challenges that limit deans, chairs of departments, and faculty in producing holistic graduates in the universities. Based on the findings there is a need to review policies on staff loading, resource allocation, and institutionalizing rewards systems.