So we know that he spent 7 years in Germany. The first 2 years in Leipzig. The next 5 years in Magdeburg.
So the first 2 years, were spent first learning the language, then second, most probably at what is referred to as a “Studienkolleg”. I think in English this translates as “preparatory school”. Preparatory school is necessary for many foreigners as it inducts you into the German mode of schooling and also introduces you to the subject you intend to pursue. So in Leipzig he was probably schooling exclusively with other foreigners.
At the end of the 2 years he probably sat what is called a “Feststellungspruefung”. It’s an exam that foreigners often need to pass to ascertain that they are capable of pursuing the course they intend to pursue.
He was at Magdeburg for the next 5 years, doing the course his degree says he pursued. The score he got, “good” is the second highest score one can get in Germany. It doesn’t mean he “barely passed” as many on twitter keep parroting. It means he passed exceedingly well. The only score above that is “very good” and trust me that one is the Mecca of studies, the holy grail of achievement.
The other thing that needs clarification once and for all is the “Diplom” that everyone is insisting is just a “Diploma”. The international equivalent of a “Diplom” is a masters.
One last thing that hasn’t been clarified yet is the insistence that because the school he was at says “Technical” University of Magdeburg, people, out of ignorance, keep insisting that he went to a Polytechnic. I take it that has something to do with Kenya Polytechnic changing it’s name to Technical University of Kenya once it was cleared to confer degrees. Generally, TU or Technical University is so called because it focuses on the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math). The best university in Germany (in my opinion) is Technical University of Munich.
We’ve already covered why he had no graduation ceremony or gown or etc. But for the sake of making this a one stop shop for dismantling ignorance. We’ll clarify one last time. German Public Universities do not hold graduation ceremonies. At least, I’ve never heard of one that does.
And as a final note to parents. Don’t shy away from taking your kids to study in Germany. It’s (kind of) free. And it’s the best education you can give your child. Almost every modern convenience you use today has (fundamentally) a German origin.
What is your reference. Your explanation is riddled with words like ‘‘he probably’’, indicating that it is your opinion, you have not talked to him. By the way, where did Raila go to secondary school in Kenya
My reference is I know how the system works, I went through it but a different route from his. Germany has several different routes to education but the other routes are irrelevant here. I say probably because I do not know how the system was in the 60s. The “riddled with” affects the first 2 years. Probability is 90% the system is still the same as it was back then. The difference I can think of is we have a Goethe Institut in Nairobi & Mombasa now, so you can learn the language here and reduce your time in the preparatory stage to 9 months or less or even skip it altogether.
Raila was in Maranda. Even Miguna will tell you. Where Miguna tries to eschew facts trying to claim Maranda was a Primary school. But Maranda High was established in 1919.
Baba truly is a genius. From smacking his teacher in class six to graduating with a masters in 7 short years. Nani kama babba akili yake saaasawa kabisa
Germany is not Uganda where you can apparently pay a University to agree that you graduated from there. And while I really do not rank the Magdeburg TU where he got his Diplom, the Leipzig one is no joke. Even the worst German Uni (like most Eastern ones) can for sure never be compared to the best we have in East Africa. Hata ukiangalia funding tu, even just a kawaida Uni, not the fancy ones like TU Munich, or TU Darmstadt, or Freie Uni Berlin, the budget is more than the funding the counties of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Elgeyo Marakwet (or whichever county the city of Eldoret is in) get from Central Bank, COMBINED. When you start looking at the fancy ones, the funding reaches ridiculous levels.
In short, you are not going to have enough money to bribe any uni to soil its reputation like Teams University did.