University Students to Wait Longer For HELB Disbursement
Students who applied for university and college education funding have received preliminary results, but they will have to wait a little longer to learn their fate.
The CEO of the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb), Charles Ringera, reports that 139,060 first-year university students have applied for government funding under the model that will be implemented for the first time this year. This number falls slightly short of the expected 140,107 students placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps) in various degree programs.
Mr. Ringera mentioned that they have acquired preliminary results and are presently in the process of validating this information, which will take a few more days.
Students assigned to technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) institutions submitted an additional 109,798 applications, bringing the total number of new applicants to 248,858. There was a one-month extension of the application deadline until Saturday.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu had ordered institutions to admit students without tuition fees while they awaited the outcome of their applications, causing students to eagerly await the results.
Geoffrey Monari, the CEO of the Universities Fund (UF), initially budgeted for 155,814 students during a previous event, but in the end, they placed 140,107 students. Out of these, 130,485 students placed in public universities will receive scholarships and loans, while the remaining 9,662 students placed in private universities will be eligible for loans.
The model takes into account factors such as individual need and program cost, with the anticipated cost for the fiscal year 2023-2024 being Sh39.4 billion. Helb will provide the loan, while UF will provide the scholarships.
However, the 9,662 students assigned to private universities are only eligible for the loan and not the scholarship. Students admitted to Tvet colleges administered by other ministries are ineligible for funding.
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Mr. Ringera stated that dissatisfied students will have the option to file an appeal once they receive the results of their allocations. He explained, “There is an appeal procedure in the system once categorization has been determined.”
Helb disbursed Sh10.5 billion to continuing students for tuition and living expenses last week, and the new funding model has not affected continuing students. In September, Mr. Machogu noted that the government distributed Sh8.4 billion to students in public universities and Sh441 million to continuing students in private universities.
They also transferred Sh3 billion to cover tuition for continuing students in Tvet colleges. Mr. Machogu conveyed the government’s commitment to providing assurance to students, parents, guardians, and higher education institutions. He stated that they are making all necessary efforts to ensure the timely disbursement of loans and scholarships to the applicants to support their educational endeavors.
University Students to Wait Longer For HELB Disbursement
