Machogu Addresses Invalid IDs and System Glitches in Scholarship and Loan Applications
Ezekiel Machogu, the secretary of the education cabinet, has assured students who were unable to register for scholarships and loans under the new university funding model that the issue will be resolved in the coming days.
Machogu, speaking to the plenary of the National Assembly on Thursday, cited invalid National Identification Cards and the Integrated Personnel Registration System (IPRS) as the sources of the problems encountered by students.
Several students with newly acquired IDs and IPRS were barred from the university fund portal, preventing them from gaining access to the funds.
Machogu stated that he was coordinating with his Interior counterpart, Kithure Kindiki, to integrate the newly acquired IDs and IPRS numbers into the university’s system in an effort to resolve the delays caused by system glitches.
According to Machogu, the locked-out students will shortly be required to reapply for funding opportunities, as the process will be completed within one week.
During this application period, the IPRS is being reviewed to support and facilitate requests for validation of the Identity Card Number, according to Machogu.
Despite Machogu’s interventions, students remain in a precarious position, as the application window, which opened on July 31 and will close on September 7, is scheduled to close on September 7. According to reports, the Ministry of Education has not yet achieved the desired result.
Machogu revealed that an estimated 265,614 students are expected to submit applications for funding. As of the current date, a total of 65,328 applications have already been submitted.
The CS added that the current system’s Integrated Personnel Registration System can only validate the applicants’, parents’, and guarantors’ old National Identity Card Numbers.
It has been observed since the initiation of the application process that the validation of Identity Card Numbers within the system requires a notably extended duration.
Machogu acknowledged that the system occasionally encounters downtimes lasting several hours, which in turn hamper the registration and application processes.
Machogu explained that to implement the model, a collaborative effort was undertaken by the Higher Education Loans Board, the Universities Fund, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, and the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
They jointly devised and launched a centralized online platform aimed at facilitating the registration and application processes for scholarships, loans, and bursaries for students enrolled in tertiary education institutions.
MPs remarked, however, that the interventions came too late, as many institutions are about to begin their terms, and there are concerns that students will be required to report before they have made adequate financial arrangements.
On May 3 at State House in Nairobi, President William Ruto unveiled the New Higher Education Funding Model.
The new model is a needs-based and student-centered funding system that categorizes students based on their household income into four categories.
Vulnerable students will receive full scholarships, while impoverished students will receive partial scholarships. While students with lower needs will receive long-term loans.
Machogu Addresses Invalid IDs and System Glitches in Scholarship and Loan Applications