Public Universities Vice Chancellors Committee Chairperson and Embu University Vice Chancellor Prof Daniel Mugendi says more poor Kenyans will get a chance to join higher learning institutions, including universities and TVETs following the adoption of a new higher education funding model by the Ministry of Education.
Prof Mugendi has also dismissed online reports that university fees have been hiked, noting that no fees have been increased and that the new funding model is going to benefit everyone.
”I am surprised that we are talking about fees having been increased in universities. There are no fees that have been increased. The model proposed by the government is going to favor everyone,” the VC explained in an interview on Citizen TV.
The VC says the cheapest program at Kenyan universities, which costs about Ksh. 122,600 will see households pay Ksh. 8,500 and the most expensive program, which is medicine, will have households contribute Ksh. 42,800 per academic year.
”If you take from the cheapest program which costs about Ksh.122,600, households will only be contributing Ksh.8,500 per year that is the only fees they will pay to the university. How cheap can it be?” he posed.
“If you go for the most expensive programme, medicine, the amount that the household will contribute annually is only Ksh.42,800. When we are talking of fees being increased I don’t know what we are talking about.”
The new model categorizes those seeking government assistance into four categories; vulnerable, highly needy, needy, and less needy.
Students classified as vulnerable and extremely needy will receive 100% government funding for their studies in the form of scholarships and loans. Those classified as needy and less needy will receive 93% government funding, with students bearing 7% of the tuition costs.
Students in need will be eligible for government scholarships of up to 53% and loans of up to 40%.
The new model has seen a significant increase in funding for university education – from KSh. 54 billion to an impressive KSh 84.6 billion. It will see funding per student rising from Ksh152, 000 to a commendable Ksh208,000.
Furthermore, the budgetary allocation for TVETs has doubled from Sh5.2 billion to Sh10 billion, effectively translating to an annual support of Sh67,000 per trainee.
