KUCCPS Contemplates Dropping Courses Amid Funding Crisis
The Kenyan Universities and Colleges Placement Services (KUCCPS) is considering dropping some courses due to a looming funding crisis.
The CEO of KUCCPS, Dr. Agnes Wahome, stated that low enrollment numbers in some programs are causing the government to suffer losses, leading to the need to evaluate whether or not to continue offering these programs.
The KUCCPS is responsible for advising the government on programs, and Wahome stated that they would evaluate the competition rate of all students per course across universities and colleges.
She also raised concerns about the fact that students tend to scramble for courses like law, ignoring courses in sectors that receive the most funding in the country’s budget.
Wahome expressed concerns about the rising number of students qualifying for government sponsorship amid a financial crisis. The government cannot continue to fund all these students, so they need to look at other funding models.
The KUCCPS uses students’ data from the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) and university data to determine placement in higher learning institutions.
This data is sent to the University Funding Board (UFB), which compares the number of applications to the slots available in each institution and determines how many students are admitted per campus.
The KUCCPS also liaises with the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the State Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to determine the funding of students in universities, colleges, and TVET institutions.
Wahome stated that the KUCCPS has programs that respond to agriculture, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), housing, and healthcare, but they are not filled to capacity.
She questioned whether they are putting their money in the right direction the country is going.
Wahome further highlighted the issue of universities having a high ratio of lecturers to students in some courses. In some institutions, there are five lecturers and only four students, leading to the question of whether this is the best use of finances.
The KUCCPS is engaging with universities to evaluate the need to continue some programs based on data.
KUCCPS Contemplates Dropping Courses Amid Funding Crisis
