President William Ruto has revealed that the distressed 26,000 KCSE candidates who appealed against the band under which they were placed for funding will know their fate soon.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The president, speaking during a town hall meeting at the Kenyatta International Conventional Centre (KICC) last night where he met various student leaders, Vice chancellors and education stakeholders to discuss matters relating to the new funding model, said in three weeks’ time, the students will receive the responses concerning their appeals.
“I’m aware that 26,000 of the79,038 students who applied through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Services (KUCCPS) have appealed on the band that they were placed. I want to assure you that the students will receive the responses within three weeks so as to ensure that they are placed in the correct band,” he said.
Ruto said that he was aware that most students use cyber cafes to apply for the courses and as a result, they fill in incorrect information, ending up being put in the wrong bands.
Backing the new funding model, he said it is not only a tool for improving student support, but also as a solution to the financial instability plaguing universities.
He projected that it will stabilize university finances within three years, allowing institutions to focus on enhancing education quality rather than merely surviving financially.
“Our goal is to create a sustainable funding environment that allows universities to excel in their educational mission,” he said.
In Band one, Ruto said the parents earn below Ksh6,000 a month, as well as orphans and students living with disabilities.
He said the government will cater for 95 per cent of fees; that is 70 per cent in scholarships and 25 per cent in loans as households pay 5 per cent.
For instance, for the Bachelor of Education Science programme, which costs Ksh244,800 per year, parents will pay Ksh12,240.
In Band 2 where parents/ guardians earn below Ksh25,000, the government scholarship will cover 60 per cent while the loan will cover 30 per cent. The family will pay 10 per cent of the fees.
In Band 3 where the parents earn Ksh50,000, Ruto said that the government scholarship will cover 50 per cent while the loan will cover 30 per cent, leaving the households with 20 per cent of the total fees.
Students who fall under Band 4 whose parents earn income not exceeding Ksh70,000 will get scholarships of 40 per cent and loans at 30 per cent, with the remaining 30 per cent being catered for by the households.
Band 5, which consists of students whose parents earn over Ksh70,000 a month, will get government scholarships amounting to 30 per cent, loans 30 per cent and households contributing 40 per cent of the total amount of fees…CONTINUE READING>>
