End of Automatic Govt Sponsorship of Higher Education Ushers in a New Era of Student Funding
Students who have qualified for enrollment to universities and other higher education institutions will be able to apply for financial aid through the newly created Higher Education Financing Portal beginning on Thursday.
This effectively signals the End of Automatic Govt sponsorship of higher education enjoyed by students of all socioeconomic backgrounds over the years.
Prior to the start of the academic year in September for universities and technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) institutions, students have only one month to submit their applications for funding.
Government scholarships, loans, and bursaries will be used to provide funding, with those deemed vulnerable and exceedingly poor receiving more aid in the form of scholarships than loans.
Those in the less-needy and less-needy categories will receive more loans and fewer scholarships.
In addition, students will apply for loans through the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) to fund their living expenses during their studies.
All scholarship, loan, and grant applications will now be submitted through the new portal.
Students who do not qualify for government aid or who do not receive sufficient aid will have to burrow deeper into their own pockets to finance their education.
“Since the May 3, 2023 presidential directive on the implementation of the new financing model, the government has developed and finalized the Higher Education Financing Portal to accept applications for scholarships, loans, and bursaries for university and Tvet students.
Yesterday, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced the placement results at the Kenya School of Government.
“Therefore, I am ordering vice-chancellors and principals to ensure admission letters are distributed by August 2, 2023. This will allow students to file for loans and grants between August 3, 2023 and August 27, 2023 at midnight, he said.
The CS stated that the level of students’ financial need will be determined using a Means Testing Instrument (MTI) that is scientific and reliable.
“However, continuing students will not be affected by this funding model and will continue to receive their funding based on the existing government model,” Mr. Machogu explained.
Mr. Machogu stated that of the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) students who qualify for placement, over 45,000 university students and 42,000 Tvet students qualify for full funding through government bursaries and loans because they are vulnerable and extremely needy.
Students in need receive a maximum grant of 82% of the program’s cost and an 18% loan.
Those with acute financial need will receive a maximum grant of 70 percent of tuition fees and a loan for the remaining 30 percent.
“Students whose families reside at the base of the pyramid will have equal access to university and Tvet education through government funding of one hundred percent.”
This means that their families will not be required to contribute to the cost of the program, and the student will also receive a living stipend from the loan, as stated by Mr. Machogu.
Students in the category of financial need will receive a maximum grant of 53% of the cost of the program and a maximum loan of 40%. The percentages will also differ based on individual MTI assessments.
The quantity of assistance a student receives is also dependent on the price of the program to which they are admitted. distinct courses at universities have distinct costs.
Before students could apply for placement through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), they were required to disclose the costs.
In addition, universities were required to offer a 15% discount on the cost of all programs.
For instance, a degree in medicine at Kenyatta University (KU) will cost Sh612,000, Sh461,210 at Kisii University, Sh612,000 at Moi University, and Sh539,750 at the University of Nairobi (UoN).
A pharmacy degree at KU costs Sh428,000, while at Kisii University it costs Sh418,710.
UoN estimates the expenditure to be Sh413,950. Moi University dental surgery students will pay Sh612,000, while UoN students will pay Sh521,050.
Bachelor of Arts degrees are the least expensive of all university degrees. The annual expense is Sh153,000 at KU, Sh122,485 at Kisii University, Sh153,000 at Moi University, and Sh160,655 at UoN.
The placement and funding model was the result of a collaboration between KUCCPS, Helb, and the Universities Fund.
Mr. Charles Ringera, CEO of Helb, stated that the model will increase equity in higher education funding compared to the previous system, which was based on equality.
In the previous arrangement, students only applied for student loans through Helb, while the University Fund dealt with universities. It disbursed the capitation grant directly to the institutions using the differentiated unit cost, which varies according to the cost of the program.
In the meantime, students who were not placed in their desired programs or institutions reacted negatively to the publication of the results.
However, KUCCPS executive director Agnes Mercy Wahome stated that the classification was based solely on merit and choice.
“I am dissatisfied and perplexed. What could have occurred and what are our options? My son earned an A with 84 points.
A parent lamented, “He was accepted into the Diploma in Medical Engineering program at the Technical University of Mombasa.”
End of Automatic Govt Sponsorship of Higher Education Ushers in a New Era of Student Funding