By James Wakahiu
Education stakeholders have added their voice to the
recent universities and TVETs funding model
announced by the State recently.
The National Association of Private Universities in
Kenya Secretary General Dr. Vincent Gaitho has poked
holes on the mode of funding that he noted were
discriminative to students in private universities. He
says the new funding model will bar students in private
universities from accessing government scholarships,
thus locking them out from seeking higher education.
“The President said that under the new model, every
child will have equal opportunity. Equal opportunity
should not be discriminative but open to all students.
Equal opportunity means all student should be given an
opportunity to choose where they want to seek their
higher education,” Dr Vincent Gaitho.
Photo/National Association of Private Universities in Kenya Secretary General Dr. Vincent Gaitho (Right) and Dr Mark Matunga, an educationist (centre) during the KBC tv interview. PHOTO: COURTESY
“People should be given an opportunity to choose
where they want to seek their higher education,” said
Gaitho, who is also the Pro-Chancellor at Mount Kenya
University (MKU).
He warned there was a risk of locking people to
particular line of thinking and area of seeking higher
education. “Going forward, the private universities may
be seen as pariahs, as unwanted, that they shall not be
considered in placing students. We have no problem
with that. Let students be given the opportunity to seek
education in the institutions they feel will give them the
opportunity to unlock themselves.”
Dr. Mark Matunga, an Educationist and Technology
Evangelist, said the funding needs to be student-based
and student-centered, which will also give an
opportunity even for private universities to create
scholarships.
“Our money should fund an individual, not a
university. The challenge is for universities like
Strathmore to look for scholarships for their students
and former students,” said Matunga.
The two spoke during a media interview on KBC TV saying the model announced by President William Ruto, the university and
TVETs funding model aims at benefiting students from
extremely poor backgrounds.
The government will cater for education costs of
vulnerable, less vulnerable and extremely needy
students who comprise 29 percent of those joining
universities and TVETs this year.
For the first time, students whose families are at the
bottom of the pyramid shall enjoy equal opportunity in
accessing university and TVET education. Their
households shall not make any contribution towards the
education of their children,Ruto said.
The President also announced an increase in university
education funding to Sh84.6 billion, up from Sh54
billion in the 2023/24 financial year, a 56 per cent rise
from the current budget. “Funding to students shall
combine scholarships, loans and household
contributions on graduated scale, scientifically
determined by means testing instrument,” President
William Ruto said in a televised address from State
House, Nairobi.
Ruto said going forward, the State would not fund
students attending private universities. There are about
30 private universities in Kenya which work to enhance
the provision of quality education in the country.
The aim is to support public institutions, whose pending
bills have ballooned to Sh60.2 billion due to unremitted
statutory deductions, Sacco dues, pension, bank loans
and unpaid contractors.
Dwindling State capitation while operating costs rose
over the years have combined with falling student
numbers to worsen the cash crunch.
However, financial mismanagement and corruption also play a role in
crippling public universities.
The new framework will be applicable for the new
cohort of students joining universities and Tvets this
year and does not increase tuition fees.
According to Dr Gaitho, before 2016, private
universities never had any government-sponsored
students. “Why did the Government see it wise to make this
move? These universities have invested in
infrastructure, systems and people and it is even
cheaper for the State to sponsor students in private
colleges,” he added.
Previously, the private institutions used to market
themselves to attract students from Kenya and abroad.
From 2016, the Kenya Universities and Colleges
Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) started placing
students in private universities due to lack of capacity in
public institutions. “Kuccps would discuss with the
private colleges, who would then declare the vacancies
they have. The State would then pay for students in the
private colleges,” said Dr Gaitho.
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