From The Registrar’s Office: The student Population for HUC Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programs is growing.
The Academic Year 2024-2025 has started on a promising note, with the School of Theology registering a significant increase in student numbers compared to the previous years. According to HUC Registrar Rev. Dr. George Macharia, SJ, the School
of Theology recorded 45 new students registered, a significant increase compared to last academic year, when 40 students applied and only 38 reported. “We would have had more this year, but unfortunately, two had immigration problems and couldn’t come.
But all in all, having a class of 45 students is very positive,” Dr. Macharia noted.
The School of Peace Studies and International Relations has admitted 15 students this year, a decline from last year when it registered 20. Dr. Macharia explained that this resulted from inadequate scholarship funds to sponsor more students. “Last year, the
college was able to give scholarships to six students, while this year, it only managed to provide for three.” Dr. Macharia further revealed that the Peace Studies and International Relations Program received many more applications, but most of the
applicants hoped for either a full or partial scholarship, and because the college was not able to sponsor them, they could not be admitted.
“For me, the fact that so many people are interested in the program implies that our visibility, our presence, and our impact are being felt, and this can be attributed to several factors, such as the many activities and events we have held in the recent past which attracted the participation of people from different parts of the country, and other nationalities across the continent and the world. The Communications Department has also done very well promoting the college events and activities on the website and through the monthly newsletter. Also, the media coverage of HUC events, especially the Capuchin TV, has extensively publicized our programs. In addition, having the department of marketing may have contributed to highlighting our presence through social media platforms. Our presence on social media platforms has greatly been enhanced, he said.
Other HUC short-term programs that have witnessed growth in student interest include the Certificate in Retreat Direction. This program runs for a whole year and is held every Saturday. This Academic Year, it registered over 30 participants. Dr. Macharia noted
“One of the Religious Congregations, The Salesians of Don Bosco, has given us over 15 students, and they have stated that they want all their students to undertake this program. Thanks to our marketing department, the Salesians learned about this program.”
Dr. Macharia explained that the Certificate program in Retreat Direction is a way for Hekima to give back to the community, as the program is highly subsidized. “This is important not only because it is an income source for the college but also because it is our contribution to the community. It is an essential course for anybody involved in pastoral work or dealing with people at a human level.”
The Hekima Hilton Sisters Scholar Program, a certificate in theology course sponsored by the Hilton Foundation, has also witnessed immense growth in the student population. According to the Registrar, the applications went beyond expectations. The college has
admitted 200 students compared to last Academic Year’s 150 students: “We had to limit the number of applicants because of the limited scholarship fund. We had about ten or 15 who have been cut off because we had reached the limit for this year’s scholarship
provision.”
Dr. Macharia also disclosed that the college had received some requests for STL and MTh, the former an ecclesiastical degree, but declined to admit them because it is still in the accreditation process. “But I would have imagined that if this accreditation had gone
through, we would have fewer than ten MTh/STL students in this program.”
In any institution of higher learning, scholarship plays a key role because so many people want to study. Still, for one reason or another, they may not be able to partially or fully pay for the program. Last year, HUC sponsored six students for the Master's
program in Peace Studies and International Relations. The college would have loved to sponsor more this year, but unfortunately, this couldn’t happen because of the limited funds. “It is, therefore, our vision, our golden opportunity to establish scholarship funds
for Hekima by collaborating with more people of goodwill to collaborate to make this a reality. We are trying to expand our scholarship base to link our students with other scholarship bodies that we do not have to necessarily administer once we admit them
and confirm their legibility for admission; then, we could probably push our students actually to look for scholarships on their own, but of course, we facilitate the process of linking them and recommending them for such scholarship,” Dr. Macharia explained,
adding that this is one of the college’s considerations.
Meanwhile, Dr. Macharia also shared the challenges encountered during the admission process. He talked about a case where a student who got a scholarship from Missio and was admitted to a Theology program but could not report to classes because of a lack
of permission from her superior, who denied her a leave of absence.
Dr. Macharia further explained that students from other countries, especially those interested in our MA program, including those on scholarship, usually find it challenging to get a break from work for two years to attend the classes in person. Therefore,
Hekima needs to devise a way of reaching students virtually. “We lost two students who would have liked to join the peace studies program this year; they applied, and we admitted them only to learn that the program is attended physically. They opted out
since they didn’t have permission to be away from work for two years and we cannot offer the program virtually.”
Currently, HUC can have a blended program, but only partially. An entirely virtual program, online distance learning (ODEL), requires accreditation from the Commission of University Education (CUE). “We are currently working towards getting accreditation
for the ODEL program. This is a vision that is on the table, and it requires a lot of investments. Also, the CUE is very thorough and rigorous with its requirements regarding ODE because when it comes to virtual learning, they want to ensure that students are present and attend the sessions,” Dr. Macharia explained.
By Pamela Adinda, HUC Communications Coordinator