Let Varsity Students With Fee Arears Sit For Exams, Machogu Issues Directive
On Friday, February 3, the Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu released a statement directing universities to allow students who are beneficiaries of government-sponsored bursaries and loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to sit their end-semester exams.
This came after the National Treasury released Ksh 2.7 billion to facilitate the payment of tuition fees for these students, which is a requirement for exam registration.
According to Machogu, the ministry is aware that many students in public and private universities are preparing for their end-of-semester exams for the 2022/2023 academic calendar.
In his statement, he emphasized that no student who is a recipient of government funding should miss their exams.
The CS also urged students to be patient while the funds are disbursed to their schools and accounts.
The announcement by Machogu came just hours after students had begun to protest outside the Treasury building, as many feared they would miss their exams, which are set to commence in the coming weeks.
Some students were also worried about missing their graduation as they were sitting their final exams of their four-year study.
HELB, on the other hand, requested that students be patient, as they had received numerous questions regarding the delay in releasing the funds for the semester.
In a response to these queries, HELB apologized for the delay and promised to communicate with students soon via SMS.
Recently, President William Ruto had hinted at the merger of HELB and other bodies to make loan disbursement more efficient.
The National Skill and Funding Council, which amalgamates HELB, TVET, and the University Funding Board, would double the current funding from Sh11 billion to Sh22 billion and eliminate interest on HELB loans.
In conclusion, the release of the Ksh 2.7 billion by the National Treasury and the directive by the Education Cabinet Secretary will ensure that students who are beneficiaries of government funding can sit their end-semester exams as scheduled.
This will provide peace of mind to students who were worried about missing their exams and graduation.
The government’s efforts to make the loan disbursement more efficient will also benefit students in the future.
Let Varsity Students With Fee Arears Sit For Exams, Machogu Issues Directive
