Education CS Migos bows to pressure and guarantees university places for all first-year students
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba addressing outside the Mama Ngina High School in Mombasa which is expected to be Officially opened by President William Ruto later this month.
What you need to know:
- The Ministry has extended the deadline for fee and funding applications until December 31, 2024.
- All qualified students will be guaranteed university admission regardless of their ability to pay household contributions immediately.
The Ministry of Education has bowed to public pressure and ordered universities to admit all first-year students regardless of their ability to pay the household share of fees.
Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos said in a statement on Wednesday, August 21, that no student would be denied admission for failure to pay the household contribution.
"Qualified students will be guaranteed admission regardless of their ability to pay the household contribution immediately," Mr Migos said.
However, he did not explicitly say whether the new university funding model would be scrapped following an outcry from Kenyans.
The CS directed vice-chancellors of all public universities to admit eligible students, adding that they should also provide them with suitable accommodation "with a guarantee that the necessary fees will be paid after the maintenance component is disbursed".
Mr Migos also assured Kenyans that his ministry was working with the National Treasury to expedite the release of the funds.
The statement appeared to partially address concerns raised by several citizens that many students would miss out on university places because they could not afford the required fees.
Under the new funding model, students have been categorised into bands 1-5 depending on various parameters, including household income.
However, the media has recently been awash with cases of students from modest backgrounds being placed in band 5, with fees running into hundreds of thousands a year.
Yesterday, MPs huddled in a crisis meeting, concluding that the new funding model was unrealistic and needed to be overhauled.
He encouraged students who have been wrongly categorised to submit appeals, which will be considered in three weeks' time.
Mr Migos welcomed suggestions to strengthen the funding model.
"We welcome suggestions that bursary and other educational funding kitties be consolidated to enhance equity and affordability of education," he said.
Presently, bursary funds are scattered amongst several offices including National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
MPs, who are the patrons of NG-CDF, have previously been accused of meddling in the administration and disbursement of bursaries from the kitty.
Other leaders, including governors and woman representatives, have also not been spared of the criticism.
