But trouble is now spreading to private universities like Daystar, whose students took to the streets last week to protest the way affairs are conducted there. 

Which makes Education Minister George Saitoti's call to university heads to change their tactics both refreshing and urgent. 

Channels of communication between students and administrators have not been very straightforward in the past, and the appointment of Chancellors was supposed to ease such pressures. 

While some riots have been triggered by infantile excuses, the regularity with which they occur suggest a deeper malaise. 

Moreover, the spread of unrest from public universities to private ones, now point to serious administrative failures. 

Although the present challenges may not be new, they certainly require fresh approaches. This calls for more open dialogue between students and those who govern them. 

Even more important, university administrators should be willing to learn from the students to understand their afflictions and appreciate their fears. 

Such sharing may sound unpalatable to professors of the old school, but the dictates of the modern world have placed educationists in an awkward position. 

Our universities should lead the way in this understanding and we hope Saitoti's call will be heeded. 

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