Private Universities Face Closure and Job Cuts Amid New Funding
At private universities, employment losses are a possibility. Some institutions might shut down as a result of the new financing structure.
This is a result of the new funding model that supports students through scholarships and finance going into effect in September.
The bursaries, however, would only be available to students enrolled in their public institutions, thus those attending private universities will not be eligible.
This implies that loans will only be available to students attending private universities to pay for tuition.
The government’s decision to bar private universities from scholarship financing, according to Prof. Stephen Mbugua, chairman of the Kenya Association of Private Universities (KAPU), may force some private colleges to liquidate.
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa’s (CUEA) Vice Chancellor, Professor Mbugua, noted that the current student enrolment levels are notably low, posing a challenge to the sustainability and growth of institutions in the next five years.
He emphasised how this circumstance limits universities’ potential for growth. The eighth Catholic Schools Principals’ Association Conference was taking place at the same time as his speech at Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
In order to stop the impending collapse of private institutions, Prof. Mbugua also encouraged the government to contemplate revisiting the funding paradigm.
Professor Mbugua claimed that requests had been made to the government in an effort to address this problem.
He disclosed that he had personally sent letters to the Cabinet Secretary, the Permanent Secretary of Higher Education, and even the head of the education committee in parliament on behalf of private universities.
These appeals seek to persuade the decision-maker to reevaluate their choice.
Over 100,000 students have been funded by the government to attend private universities since 2016.
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15% of all students who were funded by the government attended private universities, according to information provided to the National Assembly’s education committee in a document from the Kenya Association of Private Universities in 2021.
10,984 students were admitted in 2016, 17,363 in 2017, 12,656 in 2018, 17,511 in 2019, and 27,754 in 2020 by the colleges.
28,063 new students were admitted to the universities in 2021.
A total of 140,107 pupils were assigned to public and private colleges this year to pursue undergraduate degrees after taking the 2022 KCSE exams.
While 9,662 students attending private institutions will solely receive student loans, 130,485 students attending public universities will receive both scholarships and loans.
Prof. Mbugua claimed that private universities would experience financial difficulties if the new paradigm persisted in the same way.
He further claims that there is an organised campaign to encourage students to apply to public universities by promising them scholarships.
This approach developed as a result of the expansion of private universities. Many universities, according to Mbugua, had fewer than ten pupils.
He made the case that the approach is in contrast to the Kenya Kwanza economic government model, which encourages job creation in both the private and governmental sectors.
“We are aware that the government has pledged to increase employment, but by removing students from the private sector, they are doing the opposite,” the man stated.
Following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order, the Ministry of Education started allowing government-sponsored students to enrol at private universities in 2016.
In 2014, a sessional document that sought to overhaul the financially troubled university sector initially suggested the admission of government-sponsored students to private universities.
The expansion of government student sponsorship to private colleges was named as one of the most successful ways for tackling the difficulties facing Kenyan higher education in the Sessional Paper No. 14 of 2012.
Although President Uhuru Kenyatta authorised the placement of government-sponsored students in all universities, the programme did not become a reality until 2016.
According to President Uhuru Kenyatta, investments made in higher education by governmental, commercial, and religious organisations should be assessed as a whole in order to determine how to best use funds to train more Kenyans.
Private Universities Face Closure and Job Cuts Amid New Funding
