TUK Announces Free Training for Students; How to Apply

TUK Launches Free Training for Students; How to Apply

The Technical University of Kenya (TUK) has announced a free astronomy training for Kenyan Students.

According to a statement on May 6, 2025, the basic training programme is fully funded by the University of Leeds, and therefore, trainees will not have to pay a fee or any costs.

The training package includes accommodation, meals and travel to the training venues in South Africa and Kenya. An out-of-pocket allowance will also be included to cover other incidental expenses.

In the statement, TUK said the training will be delivered by experts from the UK, South Africa and the African Partner Countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Madagascar, Mozambique and Mauritius.

Applicants are advised to apply for the basic training programme on or before May 21, 2025.

Upon completion of the programme, trainees will receive a certificate of completion, equipping them to apply for advanced training opportunities in astronomy at the master’s or PhD level, or to apply their newly acquired skills in the growth of related high-tech industries.

TUK Free Training Eligibility

In Kenya, the programme is open to any suitably qualified Kenyan national who wants to undertake the training or to be re-trained in astronomy.

Additionally, no prior experience in astrophysics is required. Applicants are expected to be graduates in physics or a related subject.

Moreover, trainees who are currently studying or employed need to obtain a letter of permission from their Head of Department or line manager stating that they will be giving the time off to attend all the basic training programme.

Also Read: TUK Announces Dates When Admitted Students Will Start Learning

How to Apply

Applicants are required to complete the online application form available on the DARA Project website at https://www.dara-project.org/basic-program and upload all necessary supporting documents.

In case of difficulties with the online application, candidates may request a paper application form by contacting the African Partner representative, Prof. Paul Baki, via email at [email protected].

For any issues regarding the application process, applicants are advised to reach out to the DARA Project Manager, Emma Smith, at [email protected].

Also Read: TUK Clarifies Shutdown Reports After Parliament Declared It Insolvent

About the Training Programme

The training programme will span four componentdelivered s over the course of a year.

It is part of the Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) initiative, which aims to foster the growth of astronomy across Africa and ensure that opportunities in this field are available to African citizens.

Through this basic training programme, participants will gain a strong foundation in astrophysics and radio astronomy, with a balance of theoretical instruction and practical experience.

Training Programme	Courses	Duration
Foundation Astrophysics Online Training	Basic astronomy	20 Online lectures
Computer Training	Basic computer skills	30th June 4th July 2025 at TUK
Practical Optical Astronomy Training	Introduction to observational astronomy-coordinate systems, planning an observation Introduction to optical astronomy-telescopes and detectors, photometry, spectroscopy, time domain Practical sessions using the University of Edinburgh’s 40 cm optical telescope and the DARA 20 cm telescope. Introduction to radio astronomy and practical sessions using a small radio telescope and RFI monitoring device Reduction and analysis of the data taken	14th to 25th July 2025 at the Turkana Basin Institute in northern Kenya.
Practical Radio Astronomy Training	Radio Telescopes – antenna systems, Radio Frequency Interference and mitigation procedures. Receiver Systems-feedhorn, amplifiers, cryogenics, downconverter, local oscillator, digital backend Single dish observations Interferometric observations VLBI Techniques- recording systems, e-VLBI, timing systems, hydrogen masers	15th-26th September 2025 at Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), South Africa.
Data Reduction Training	Interferometric Data Reduction-flagging, fringe finding, flux calibration, phase calibration, polarization calibration, self-calibration and imaging. Data Analysis – flux densities, source sizes, image fidelity	January 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed) at the Technical University of Kenya.