Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu is set to appear before the Parliamentary Education Committee over the new higher education funding model.
This comes after the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Charles Ringera said about 65, 000 students out of the 140, 107 placed to universities this year have applied for scholarships and loans under the new funding model.
According to University Fund CEO Geoffrey Monari, they have been receiving about 8, 000 applications per day and the deadline is set on September 7.
Ringera reiterated that the portal will not be closed until all 265,000 students have applied, asking students and parents to make use of the opportunity.
“We’ve made arrangements that if by September 7 we’ll not have received the entire 265,000 applications or thereabout, then definitely we will be extending the deadline,” Ringera said.
The new funding formula was unveiled by President William Ruto in May in order to finance students depending on their level of need as assessed by HELB.
Members of Parliament (MPs) have however warned that thousands of poor students risked being locked out which will increase the fee burden on parents.
“There are serious concerns that the new financing model may put unrealistic burdens on parents and guardians, thereby disadvantaging some students who qualify to pursue higher learning,” Mbeere MP Geoffrey Ruku said.
The lawmakers now want the Ministry of Education to revert to the previous capitation model where learners paid as little as Ksh16,000 per year for degree courses.
By Thuita Jaswant
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