CS Machogu orders opening of higher education funding portal following fee discrepancies

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Universities Fund (UF) have been directed to open the Higher Education Funding portal - www.hef.co.ke - on June 15, 2024, to allow eligible students to apply for funding.

This directive follows concerns that some parents and guardians have been asked to pay full fees as indicated in university admission letters, despite government provisions to cover part of these fees.

"I wish to notify all parents, guardians, and students that results of the funding application process will be released from July 31, 2024," Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said on Friday.

Machogu noted once the funding results are out, universities will inform first-year students about the exact amount parents or guardians are required to pay.

He said all first-year students will report to their respective universities based on their admission letters and joining instructions as advised.

He outlined that funding for each degree programme will be comprised of scholarships, loans, and contributions from parents or guardians. The allocation for each component will be determined based on the assessed financial need of each applicant.

Machogu clarified 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.

"This will thereafter determine the amount of scholarship and loan that they require," he said.

Universities and funding agencies have also been urged to immediately embark on sensitisation of students, parents/guardians, and stakeholders on the Student-Centred Funding Model.

On Tuesday, the National Assembly Committee on Education recommended the withdrawal of all admission letters sent to students following anomalies in the fees required under the new funding model.

In this regard, the Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala confirmed that the letters would be withdrawn to address these discrepancies.

The new funding model for university and TVET students was unveiled by President William Ruto on May 3, 2023, after countrywide consultations by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms.

Under the Student-Centred Funding Model, the placement process of First Year students to universities was delinked from funding.

Based on this, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) publishes on its portal the full fee structure of each of the courses declared in Universities, alongside the cluster requirements of the degree programmes.

The model was implemented for first-year students who joined universities and TVETs in September 2023.

As of May 2024, 112,741 university students and 151,933 TVET learners applied for scholarships and loans from the Universities Fund and HELB respectively.

Sh24.76 billion was allocated for university scholarships and loans, while Sh11.3 billion was designated for TVET trainees.

For the first time under the government's cost-sharing policy in higher education, all 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) applicants received financial support.

This year, the second cohort of university entrants will also receive support under the Student-Centered Funding Model.

Of the 201,146 candidates who qualified for university entry from the 2023 KCSE exams, 153,274 were placed in various degree programmes by KUCCPS, with 75,718 securing places in TVET institutions.

In addition, 19,653 candidates were admitted to the Kenya Medical Training College, and 10,263 were placed in Teacher Training Colleges