Public Universities Defy Fee Directive, Demand Payments for Admission
Parents and students have expressed surprise and concern as public universities have defied Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu’s directive by demanding that first-year students settle their fees before admission.
A minimum of five reputable public universities now mandate that parents cover as much as seven percent of the total program cost in tuition fees.
As of Thursday evening, Vice Chancellors at Kisii University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Maseno University, Kenyatta University, and Moi University had implemented the requirement of paying up to seven percent of the program expenses in tuition fees before granting admission.
Students and parents have reported that the inability to meet these fee demands has resulted in denial of admission.
For instance, Kisii University restricted access to specific admission forms until students fulfilled the institution’s mandatory fee requirement.
According to a parent whose daughter got admitted on Wednesday, he had to make a payment of Sh10,000 to obtain the B5 form, which was a prerequisite for admission.
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A student who received admission to JKUAT on Monday also mentioned that the parent had to settle the seven percent fee before the admission process.
According to The Standard, students should start their studies at Maseno University on September 24. However, they will need to clear the equivalent of seven percent of their tuition fees before being admitted.
Machogu issued a directive stating that no student should be refused admission to a university based on fee payments. In a circular dated August 24, he instructed all vice chancellors of public universities and principals of constituent colleges to admit all students.
According to Machogu, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) would assign all students from the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) cohort to universities and colleges. This would occur while their funding applications were being processed.
Furthermore, Machogu directed the vice chancellors of public universities to provide the government with an additional month to process payments for each student.
Under the updated funding formula, the government classifies students into various categories, including vulnerable, extremely needy, needy, and less needy.
President William Ruto, who introduced this model, explained that it would determine the allocation of scholarships and loans to students, as well as the tuition fees they would be charged.
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Students falling into the vulnerable and extremely needy categories will not be obligated to cover any fees, as the government will fully fund their expenses through scholarships and loans.
Those falling under the needy and less needy categories will receive 93% of their funding from the government in the form of scholarships and loans but will be responsible for covering 7% of their tuition fees.
The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Universities Fund (UF) are reported to be responsible for the processing and categorization of students’ data.
However, universities are reportedly requesting fees before the government has completed processing the student’s application and categorizing students.
Machogu expressed his dissatisfaction, stating that any vice chancellor who requests fees should anticipate disciplinary action.
He further elaborated that this stems from the fact that they have just started processing student applications and haven’t yet determined the allocation criteria.
In response to the high demand for government funding in higher education, Machogu reported that the application deadline for scholarships and financing has been extended to October 7, ensuring that eligible students have adequate time to apply and leaving no one behind.
Due to the high demand for government funding in higher education, Machogu reported that the extension aims to provide eligible students with sufficient time to apply and ensure that no one is left out.
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It was reported that nearly 40% of students had not yet submitted requests.
Machogu informed legislators last week that once all students have submitted their applications, document verification will take seven days.
He stated that scholarship and loan allocation will take one day, after which disbursements will be completed.
This sudden imposition of fees has sparked outrage among students and their guardians.
Prof. Daniel Mugendi, chairman of the Vice Chancellors Committee, reported last month that students will be permitted to recommence classes until Helb and UF inform them of the status of each student.
According to Prof. Mugendi, they also agreed that students would report when they arrived and be able to attend classes while Helb processed and transmitted their information to universities.
Machogu criticized the VCs’ request for fees, deeming it “unlawful,” and raised concerns about the fee criteria employed by universities.
He assured universities that the funds would be disbursed once student data processing was finalized and emphasized that requesting fees at this stage was inappropriate as data was still being collected through student applications.
Public Universities Defy Fee Directive, Demand Payments for Admission
