Govt to Take Stern Action Against Universities Planning to Increase Fees
Geoffrey Monari, the CEO of the University Fund, has voiced his concern regarding a rumoured fee hike.
According to Monari, the government and every university signed a Memorandum of Understanding that forbade fee increases.
He issued a warning that universities planning to disobey the government order would face harsh punishment from the Ministry of Education.
“Under the new funding model, which is student-centered and quality-driven, the government will fund individual students based on their level of financial need, and no one will be denied funding,” promised Monari.
Belio Kipsang, principal secretary of the State Department of Basic Education, denied charges that higher education has become expensive and confined to the wealthy due to the new finance model, saying that Kenyans should learn to embrace change.
The new approach will help a lot of pupils, and some will even receive full scholarships to universities, but the PS insisted that it was the best and should be supported.
Approximately 45,000 students would receive free education under state sponsorship, according to Kipsang, who was speaking in Thika, Kiambu County. Additional students will receive loans and bursaries from the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb).
Kipsang denied reports that the government had raised university fees while addressing parents, students, and teachers at Chania Boys High School during a fundraising for the construction of extra classrooms and dorms.
The administration would carefully carry out the suggestions of the Presidential Working Group on Education Reform as competency-based education is aligned, he added.
Legislators Alice Ng’ang’a (Thika Town) and Ndindi Nyoro, the head of the parliamentary budget committee, backed the PS.
“I want to reassure everyone that, despite the new financial model, university tuition has not gone up. In reality, 45,000 students will enrol in universities for the first time ever tuition-free. According to the PS, some people will be given money through Helb loans and scholarships.
He applauded the Parliamentary Budget Committee for boosting financing for higher education from Sh44 billion to Sh80 billion annually and claimed that this would enable more students to achieve their goals.
According to Nyoro, the new funding structure will increase access to higher education for kids from underprivileged families.
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The most needy students will receive full state sponsorship, according to what is happening. The remaining students will receive loans and fellowships from Helb as usual. So these charges are untrue, Nyoro said.
The opposition to the new funding paradigm, according to Ms. Ng’ang’a, was caused by a lack of proper information on the part of many people.
Those who claim that tuition at universities has gone up are lying. There is always opposition to new ways of doing things, Ms. Ng’ang’a observed.
The new model will base each student’s financial aid award on the household’s monthly income.
The criteria that will be applied to determine which students have the greatest financial need has drawn criticism.
Additionally, students have voiced concerns that they might not gain from the funding model and that institutions have raised fees for a variety of degree programmes.
Govt to Take Stern Action Against Universities Planning to Increase Fees
