Revised Law To Centralize University Placement Regardless Of Sponsorship
To enable the centralized placement of both State-sponsored and self-sponsored students to higher education institutions under KUCCPS, the Ministry of Education is considering amending the Universities Act.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will be able to accept applicants who are not supported by the government thanks to a modification to Article 56 (1) (a).
Additionally, the change will require KUCCPS to enroll foreign students in both public and private colleges.
“Once we have delinked funding and placement, it gives us the opportunity to house as many institutions as we can,” said Mercy Wahome, CEO of KUCCPS, on Saturday.
She continued, “This will be beneficial since it will give the learners a central location for information.
The government has had financial difficulties in sponsoring and supporting students across the universities and tertiary institutions due to dwindling resources and a growing student population.
The planned adjustments, according to Wahome, will also be in line with the needs-based sponsorship criterion adopted by President William Ruto’s government, which will offer varied sums of scholarships depending on a student’s financial situation.
“How can you maintain having government-sponsored but we are financing everyone while we are talking about budget cuts in government and the population is growing? To take away the emphasis on the government-sponsored part, we need to modify the statute, she said.
Updated financing model
Wahome’s remarks coincide with the government’s announcement of significant changes that will transform the funding of public universities from university-based to student-based.
The Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) model, which saw the government pay 80% and students clearing the remaining 20% regardless of financial situation, will be replaced by the new one.
Of the 869,782 KCSE (2022) candidates who met the entrance requirements for universities, KUCCPS will place 173,027 of them.
The 173,027 students who received a grade of C+ or higher will submit applications for courses based on cluster weight, course pricing, and chosen educational institutions.
Following the opening of the KUCCPS site on May 17, students planning to enroll in universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes have begun submitting their applications.
To assist students in making decisions, universities are mandated to give information on the cost of their programs.
According to Wahome, “In this new system, Universities must entice students by making sure that the courses offered have a connection to the job market.”
Under the Universities Act No. 42 of 2012, KUCCPS was established with responsibility for all government-based university and college placements.
The Joint Admissions Board (JAB) was replaced by it.
Revised Law To Centralize University Placement Regardless Of Sponsorship
