We need to spare a thought for a faculty organisation philosophy with a liberal mind keen on harnessing interdisciplinary synergies and deconstructing disciplinary conservatism.

Deconstructing Disciplinary Conservatism: Lessons from TU Dresden for Kenya’s Higher Education Sector

In Kenya, there are numerous instances where bright and talented graduates face discrimination simply because of the names of their degree programmes, particularly those from young, forward-thinking universities that have undergone a Damascus moment, realising the immense potential in the democratic exchange of ideas fostered through interdisciplinary collaboration. I was still sitting on the fence on this matter, but not until my recent visit to the capital of the Free State of Saxony, which also interestingly gave me some sense of freedom towards resolving the dilemma. Specifically, I visited the Technical University of Dresden, a top German university. The journey took me through their progressive Faculties and Schools.

As illustrated below, the democratic typology used to domicile the various Departments under the Schools is an impressive challenge to the conservative tradition we are used to in Kenya. However, this arrangement does not take away from the University’s stellar performance and competitiveness by global standards.

Beyond the Petri Dish: A Wake-Up Call for Universities to Think Different

To a conservative Kenyan academic or professional seasoned in the petri dish of legalistic literalism and rigid faculty organisation, this kind of liberal classification will instantly raise eyebrows. Look! Architecture and Environmental Sciences are resting cool and collected under the so-called School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

From this exposure, I pose a provocative and courageous question thus, “Are our universities, the Commission for University Education (CUE), and professional bodies making Kenya better off with rigid systems that tend to glorify class distinctions in a frantic attempt at preserving old prestige in nomenclature, which is already rapidly fading in a world embracing borderless and interdisciplinary collaboration?”

Thus, this is a wake-up call to harness synergies from interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research. Regulatory bodies also need to appreciate that different universities can group and regroup their departments depending on the uniqueness of their prevailing structures and the interdisciplinary synergies they can harness from their research groups. After all, real change takes place when we are open-minded enough to welcome new ideas and think different.