The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Organising Secretary Onesmus Mutio has faulted the new higher education funding model which was implemented last year as the reason for a likely surge in drop outs among students in universities across the country.
Mutio, while speaking to one of the local media last week revealed that through the new model, some of the students were forced to study courses they did not desire as they are compelled by their parents/guardians ability to afford the school fees and hence opt to drop out midway.
He revealed that the new model compelled universities to publicise the cost of programmes on the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) platform, providing an opportunity for students to select between private and public universities of their choice. Then KUCCPS places the students based on the declared slots by the institutions which are subsequently approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE).
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“A student is forced to study a course they did not want to, even the more challenge will be the performance of the course, they are even likely to drop out. If your passion was to study journalism and you end up studying accounts, there’s a possibility you might drop out midway,
“This will bring a crisis where the morale of the students even in class, you may realise they may not have the passion to study,” he said.
He further revealed the new funding model will likely bring boredom among lecturers in different institutions as the surge in courses like education will see lecturers being overworked being that universities have limited number of tutors while the number of students keep on increasing.
Over 18,557 students opted for private universities in comparison with 9,622 for last year in the statistics revealed by KUCCPS.
Among the universities that were allocated the highest number of students by KUCCPS include Kenyatta University 8,820 students, Maseno University (7,848), Kisii University (7,772), University of Nairobi (7,731) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (7,112).
By Vostine Ratemo
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