Education

Opening of scholarships, loans portal pushed to June 18 over Eid ul-Adha

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu inspects the readiness of Karen C Secondary School in South C, Nairobi, on Thursday, May 9, 2024, ahead of the reopening of schools. (Photo: Education Ministry)

By Lucy Mumbi and Erick Kariuki | Monday, June 17, 2024

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced the new date in a statement on Monday, citing the Eid ul-Adha celebration.

The opening of the application portal for scholarships and loans for students joining universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions has been postponed to Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced the new date in a statement on Monday, citing the Eid ul-Adha celebration.

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“On June 7, 2024, the Ministry of Education announced that the application portal for scholarships and loans to universities and TVET institutions, under the Student-Centred Funding Model, for the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) cohort would be opened on June 15, 2024," he said.

"However, on June 14, 2024, the government declared Monday, June 17, 2024, a public holiday to mark Eid ul-Adha. Consequently, in solidarity with our Muslim fraternity, the Ministry of Education decided to move the portal opening date from Saturday, June 15, 2024, to Tuesday, June 18, 2024, to allow Kenyans ample time to prepare and celebrate Eid ul-Adha.”

Machogu assured parents, guardians, and students that the government would give them ample time to apply for the scholarships and loans, in the spirit of leaving no one behind."

The CS had ordered the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the Universities Fund (UF) to open the Higher Education Funding portal (www.hef.co.ke) after concerns were raised over fee discrepancies in the admission letters sent to students sent to join in September.

The National Assembly Committee on Education had recommended the withdrawal of all admission letters due to anomalies in the fees required under the new funding model.

Some parents and guardians were reportedly asked to pay full school fees as indicated in university admission letters, despite government provisions to cover part of these fees.

Machogu clarified that the parents or guardians should only pay the (household) contributions as required under the new funding model.

He said the contributions for each student would only be known after funding applications and the completion of assessments based on the level of need.

"This will thereafter determine the amount of scholarship and loan that they require," he said, adding that once the funding results were released, universities would inform first-year students about the exact amount parents or guardians would pay.

“Results of the funding application process will be released from July 31, 2024,” Machogu said, adding that funding for each degree programme would include scholarships, loans, and contributions from parents or guardians.

The allocation for each component will be determined by the assessed financial need of each applicant and all first-year students will report to their respective universities based on their admission letters and joining instructions.

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