KUCCPS Issues Fresh Directive to Universities on Fees
Universities will not be permitted to change course costs until a student has completed four academic years, according to Dr. Mercy Wahome, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
The CEO said that the action will assure the effectiveness of the new funding model on Saturday, May 20, during a media sensitization session on the students’ placement procedure and the new higher education finance model.
Wahome claims that the universities will only be permitted to modify tuition costs for the incoming batch after consultations.
The CEO also pointed out that students will continue to pay the same amount for the subsequent four years even if the cost of their study decreases.
However, the institutions are free to change their fees for each intake, therefore the price of the courses may change for each cohort.
We’re paying for the students. We kept emphasizing that we should support the student rather than the university because, if we did, they may even lower their standards, she said.
The new strategy, according to Geoffrey Monari, CEO of the University Fund, also addresses the rising debt load and declining educational standards.
“We need to think since our education’s quality has been impacted. According to him, the university’s debt load was rapidly increasing.
On May 3, President William Ruto presented a new funding scheme to address the public universities’ debt problems.
According to the new model, the government will increase funding for universities from Ksh54 billion to Ksh84.6 billion in the 2023–24 fiscal year.
Ruto went on to say that funds would be allocated to students in three categories, including the Vulnerable, the Less Vulnerable, and the Able, based on their vulnerability.
He stated that the existing financing mechanism will continue to be used to assist all remaining government-sponsored students beginning with the following academic year when the new funding model would go into force.
“Block funding for universities and TVETS in the form of capitation based on differentiated unit costs will no longer be provided. Scholarships, loans, and household payments will all be combined to fund students on a graduated basis, according to Ruto.
KUCCPS Issues Fresh Directive to Universities on Fees
