By Peter Ochieng
The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has been directed to open the funding portal, to allow eligible students apply for funding ahead of joining universities and colleges later in the year.
Ezekiel Machogu, Cabinet Secretary (CS) for education in a statement on Friday directed HELB to open the portal by June 15, 2024, further indicating that the results of the process will be out by July 31.
“I direct the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Universities Fund (UF) to open the Higher Education Funding portal on June 15, 2024 to allow the eligible students to apply for funding.”
“I wish to notify all parents, guardians and students that results of the funding application process will be released from July 31, 2024. All first year students will report to their respective universities based on their admission letters and joining instructions as advised,” he said.
“Upon results of the funding applications being released, universities shall notify all their respective first year students of the amount to be paid by parents/guardians (household). Universities and funding agencies should immediately embark on sensitisation of students, parents and stakeholders on the Student-Centred Funding Model,” added the CS.
In May, 2023, President William Ruto introduced a new funding model for university and Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) students, following nationwide consultations conducted by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.
The CSs statement comes after universities recalled admission letters for first year students, after public outcry from parents and guardians over reports that they were expected to fund the bulk of the fees.
Machogu clarified that each degree program will be funded through three components: scholarships, loans, and parents/guardians (household) contribution, with the allocation for each component based on the assessed level of need of each applicant.
“Based on the placement results, some universities have released letters of admission and fees structures for the courses as displayed in the KUCCPS portal during the application process. The government has since noted that some parents/guardians (households) have had a perception that they will be required to pay the full fees as contained in the admission letters issued by individual Universities,” he stated.
He said that the parents/guardians (household) contribution for each student will only be known after the student has applied for funding and assessment based on the level of need is completed.