The new funding model for university and TVET students in Kenya is facing significant opposition from student leaders. Despite the government allocating over Ksh 24 billion to this model since its launch last year, students argue that it imposes an undue financial burden on poor families.
Student leaders have expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that they were not involved in the development process of this funding model. They believe that the system, which heavily relies on loans, will ultimately entrap them in debt.
This criticism arose during a meeting at Lake Naivasha Resort, where the Department of Higher Education and student representatives from across the country gathered to evaluate the new funding model.
Fredrick Ndambuki, the Secretary Administration in the department, explained that the model was intended to tailor funding to the needs of individual students instead of institutions.
Under the revised model, students are categorized into five bands based on their household income levels. This approach aims to provide more targeted financial support, but has been met with resistance due to concerns over increased indebtedness and the lack of initial student input in its design.
“To date, 110,223 university applications have been verified and allocated Sh11.74 billion in scholarships and Sh12.47 billion in loans,” he said.
He however decried the low transition rate from secondary schools to universities which stood at 80 per cent, adding that the government was keen to address this.
“A total of 153,274 students have been placed in various degree programmes in universities, accounting for 76.2 per cent of the 201,146 students who qualified,” he said.
The CEO Universities Fund Geoffrey Monari defended the new model saying it was a transformative step towards a more equitable and effective education funding system.
“We have heard the complaints from the students over this model like the loans been high and we shall definitely look into their concerns,” he said.
However, Pwani University leader Omar Makokha called for the withdrawal of the model as students had not been involved in the initial stages of its formulation.
Flanked by fellow student leaders, he termed the evaluation exercise as a PR gimmick, adding that the new model would overburden parents and students.
“This model has been forced on students by the state and we shall reject it as it is enslaving us with loans which we don’t know how we shall pay,” he said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Zipporah Wacera from Karatina University who noted that tuition fees had been increased at the expense of poor students who were forced to rely on loans.
“This new model is not working and is instead frustrating students in both universities and TVETs by overburdening them with huge loans without any option,” she said.
