EAC slashes budget for harmonising higher education

By Gilbert Nganga.The East African Community, or EAC, has slashed its budget for harmonising education systems and curricula in the five member countries in the coming fiscal year, further slowing a process that has nearly flopped due to financial constraints. Budgetary estimates produced by the EAC secretariat, the executive arm of the trade bloc, earlier this month showed that the Inter-University Council for East Africa, or IUCEA, will receive US$9.6 million – just down from the current year’s $10 million. The IUCEA is the regional body charged by the five countries with harmonising their education systems. According to the documents, of the US$9.6 million, $5.6 million is expected to come from donors, while the balance will be contributions from the partner states: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Read more...