How new university funding model is killing dreams.
Based on the Nation’s investigation, families and students are under pressure to choose university courses that they can afford under the new funding model that was introduced last year, instead of choosing courses that they want to study and are eligible for.
First-year students have already incurred fee amounts, which are anticipated to rise as they continue, given they were the first to use the model.
When the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps) opens the system tomorrow, a lot of students and parents have said they will apply for inter-university transfers. August and September of this year are when the second cohort under the model is expected to join.
Within the same institution, students have the option to change their assigned courses by using the university portals.
Under the funding model, the government no longer guarantees student sponsorship; instead, students must apply each year and receive funding according to the Universities Fund (UF) and Higher Education Loans Board’s assessment of their need (Helb).
President William Ruto met with the vice-chancellors of all public universities on Tuesday of last week, and among the items on his agenda was an evaluation of the funding model.
Pupils were absorbed.
State House released a brief statement that read, “VCs confirmed it’s [the model] working and in the next three years, it will have improved status of public universities because all students will have been absorbed.”
However, the story that students want to tell is different.
Pupils were compelled to learn without money for maintenance because of a delay in the previous year’s funds disbursement. When tuition was waived at universities, some people accumulated arrears for unpaid rent.
Public universities received 134,743 applications this year. 47,872 students who had a mean KCSE score of C+ in 2023 were qualified for entrance to universities, however they did not choose a degree program. 35,881 of them met the requirements, however 11,991 of them opted to enroll in certificate programs rather than degree programs.
Joseph Raymond has always considered human resource management to be his ideal career. However, Raymond was forced to stray from his ideal path of human resource management. The 19-year-old had initially selected Maseno University due to its cheaper tuition costs (Sh183,600), being aware of her financial constraints. But to his dismay, he received word that he had been accepted to Kisii University, which is more expensive (Sh206,635).
My mother is a small-scale farmer and is unable to give the required money. My first pick was Maseno University because I was aware of my family’s financial circumstances. However, he admits, “I’m not sure how my studies will proceed given the circumstances in Kisii.”
Raymond says that the way things are now, he had to start over.
“Looking at things, I might just go for Maseno University’s Bachelor of Arts in Economics with IT, which is Sh184,000 a year cheaper,” said the teenager.
granted a scholarship
First-year Turkana University College student Leonard Kanga isn’t sure if he’ll stick with his studies after just a year.
When he came to the university last year to start his Bachelor of Education (physics and mathematics) program, he traveled from his home in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, hoping that the new higher education funding model would satisfy his requests. Several institutions offer bachelor’s degrees in education, which are among the most “affordable” disciplines.
“Due to financial concerns, I was unable to seek for placement under Kuccps. “I wanted to pursue a Bachelor of Education degree, but I was only able to apply for diploma and certificate programs this year,” he said in his statement.
KCSE hopefuls for 2023
He was told when he got in touch with Kuccps that only current students—in this case, the 2023 KCSE candidates—are eligible for placement through the portal, and he was asked to send in an application letter. He did as instructed, but he was not informed of the outcome when it was revealed, and he now fears he may never get the chance again.
Despite having different circumstances, Raymond, Kanga, and Omondi are among thousands of students who have had to take into account the cost of the degree programs they choose since the higher education funding model was implemented last year. They are forced to choose classes that they can afford, rather than ones that they want to attend and are eligible for.
“Many programs still have capacity for more students due to our enhanced declared capacities this year, even though we received 800 more students than last year.” Vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Prof. Stephen Kiama Gitahi, announced on Monday, June 3, that those wishing to enroll at the institution may do so through the inter-university transfer window.
He announced a week before the August 19, 2024, reporting period that the university would open its portal on August 11, 2024, for faculty and program transfers.
But because of a Sh11.4 billion budgetary shortfall in the budget predictions for 2024–2025, Helb will only be able to support 17.2% of the first-year students who would be enrolling in universities in August and September of 2024 and all continuing students. It would be up to the surviving pupils to survive on their own.
The National Assembly Committee on Education and Beatrice Inyangala, the senior secretary for higher education, are anticipated to meet to discuss the financing system.
How new university funding model is killing dreams.
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