Ruto to Engage Varsities on New Funding Plan
The government is exploring a funding formula for both public and private universities to solve the financial problem that threatens the future of higher education institutions.
President William Ruto attributes underfunding to inadequate university funding arrangements but vowed to find a permanent solution.
“Most of our universities are facing many challenges and serious debts, and recently one of the university CEOs was taken to court. The reason is that we are giving half of the required funding in our universities,” he said during an interview with the media on Wednesday.
Ruto stated that the government must engage universities to save them, citing that the State supports so many students with limited funds.
“We are going to have a conversation with both public and private universities, and from there, where we are possibly not going to finance, we have to be honest with ourselves,” Ruto said.
President Ruto remarked that many parents who have been able to support their children in primary education academies now seek university funding, leaving vulnerable students behind.
“We have students in academies from standard one to form four, but when they go to university, we want to tell them we can pay for all of them,” Ruto stated.
“We need to be honest with ourselves that let those who can afford pay and let us think on how we can assist those who cannot afford rather than pretending that we are going to support all the children even when we are not in the position to.”
Ruto pledged to abolish HELB, the University Funding Board, and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Fund (TVET Fund).
He says he will establish a National Skills and Funding Council, dubbed the National Education Fund, which will mobilize grants, bursaries, and scholarships, link the two levels to provide a credit transfer framework and promote academic progression.
Ruto stated that the government would establish the National Skill and Funding Council, which would combine the Higher Education Loans Board, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Board, and the University Funding Board, to close the current funding gap in higher education of up to 45 percent.
The current budget allocates Sh15.8 billion to HELB, Sh91.2 billion to the University Funding Board, and Sh5.2 billion to the TVET Fund.
“Students continue to join universities without enough funding and find themselves here. We will ensure we harmonize all these institutions so that placing students should be followed with funding and supporting bursary,” Ruto said.
He added, “This immediately doubles the present Higher Education Loans Board funding from Sh11 billion to Sh22 billion and eliminates interest on HELB loans.”
Ruto also reassured the government’s resolve to spend Sh15 billion to equip 70 TVET institutions, which will assist in preparing learners for the labor market.
“Establish and fully equip a Technical Training and Vocational Educational Training Institution in the remaining 52 constituencies within the first two years,” he said.
Ruto also stated that the government is in the process of recruiting instructors for TVET institutions.
