The National Assembly is set to debate the Universities (Amendment) Bill 2023 which seeks to remove Vice-chancellors (VCs) of private universities from the board of a State agency that places students due to proposed changes in the new funding model.
The Bill if passed will guarantee the removal of the two VCs of private universities from the 13-member board of the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
“The provision removes the two Vice-Chancellors representing private universities membership on the board of the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service,” reads the Bill.
The proposed law comes at a time when the State has adopted a new funding formula that has stopped government capitation for students in private universities.
In the new funding formula for tertiary institutions, students joining universities and colleges will now be funded based on their need levels under the new formula that replaced the Differentiated Unit Cost.
University funding will categorise individual students according to four need levels which are; vulnerable, extremely needy, needy, and less needy.
The formula will see students from poor homes get more financial support than those from well-off families.
Also, the government will be using eight indicators that will aid in classifying the students according to the category they fall into for them to be allocated the funds.
The indicators include; parents’ background, gender, course type, marginalization, disability as well as family size and composition.
By Vostine Ratemo
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