GOVT TO PAY FEES FOR STUDENTS TAKING THESE DEGREE COURSES

The government is set to pay fees for students undertaking select degree courses once a proposed funding framework by the Universities Funding Board (UFB) is passed. 

Among the courses to benefit from the framework include medicine, dentistry, veterinary, pharmacy, architecture, engineering, agriculture, sports, science, food science, and courses in natural science.

The UFB sent the framework to both public and private universities’ vice-chancellor committees and affirmed that the proposed funding structure would advance national priorities for higher education in the country. 

Further, the framework proposed that the government would fund masters and doctoral students at 80 percent of the unit cost. The students would then be bonded to the university for a specified period of time. 

“Students who benefit from government postgraduate scholarships will be bonded to a university for a period of time prescribed by the Fund,” UFB CEO Geoffrey Monari stated.

According to Monari, the funding board is proposing a total of Ksh41 billion whereby the base allocation to the courses would take the lion’s share of the funding (70 percent), national priority (20 percent), postgraduate training (5 percent), institutional factor (3.22 percent) and special needs education would take up 1.78 percent. 

The framework also proposed a full-government scholarship for all students enrolled in the special needs education program. 

Universities have been facing a cash crunch in the recent past due to incurred debt. 

University of Nairobi Vice-Chancellor Stephen Kiama was recently on the spot after the institution made changes to its operating structure in order to reduce unnecessary costs. 

This saw five offices of the deputy vice-chancellors reduced to two positions of associate vice-chancellors, 35 facilities reduced to 11, and abolishment of all colleges. 

The move was, however, suspended by the High Court which issued a conservatory order suspending all the changes.

“Due to the constitutional and fundamental issues raised in this petition by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) which touch on the core structure of the university, a conservatory order is hereby issued suspending the implementation of the proposed changes,” Justice Onyango ordered.

Sourced from Kenyans.co.ke