ED-Improving the capacity in biotechnology/molecular biology of trainers to resolve challenges to the Kenyan society

BE2022ITP237A105 01/01/2023 - 31/12/2025 One of the main pillars of Kenya's vision 2030 comprises of using education, in particular tertiary education, as a tool to achieve equitability in social development and prosperity, in line with Agenda 2030's SDG 4. Despite efforts aimed at enhancing the Kenyan human capital within the STEM, challenges remain in the form of insufficient basic infrastructure as well as inadequately skilled personnel on current technologies, for example in biotechnology or molecular biology. Biotechnology is essentially the applied knowledge and industry based on living organisms. As home to a large biodiversity in flora and fauna, the application of biotechnology provides a key avenue to leverage the aspirations of the Kenya's Vision 2030, in line with the Agenda 2030 SDGs 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 14 and 15. While institutions of higher learning offer a very good theoretical base for the pure sciences, the skills to combine and apply biotechnological knowledge are still at a highly nascent stage. Thus, there is a need to build the capacity of the tertiary institutions in the provision of these practical skills. Additionally, there is a persistent gender inequality within the STEM field, moreso at the mentorship level. A few women generally progress higher and further within STEM, despite the application of affirmative action by the Kenyan government to enhance participation of the female gender in all aspects of society. These challenges limit the overall ability of learners to apply molecular biology or biotechnology in resolving the various challenges affecting the broader Kenyan society. This ITP, through training the trainers in higher education, aims to mitigate the broader challenges to the Kenyan society. By providing practical molecular biology training courses to various professionals involved in training, in combination with facilitating the trainers to create awareness in science, this ITP intends to multiply the influence of molecular biology or biotechnology in solving the problems ailing Kenyan society.