70K STUDENTS WHO SCORED C+ WILL NOT BE SPONSORED BY THE GOVT.

The government punished 70,088 students who received C+ grades in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

This was following the announcement by the University Fund body that the State did not have enough funds to sponsor all students who qualified for undergraduate degree programs.

Speaking at the Universities Funding Conference in Mombasa on Saturday, February 25, University Fund Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Geoffrey Monari revealed the formula the state will use to fund university students.

“We will not base placement on the amount of money in the state coffers.”

“Placement will continue, which means that everyone who received a C+ or higher will be placed at a university through Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS),” Monari explained.

Monari added that, while everyone will be placed at a university, this will not directly translate into university funding, as it has in the past.

Students who received C+ or higher grades will now be required to reapply for State funding through the KUCCPS portal.

If the students are not successful but choose to accept their placements, they will be required to pay for their university education.

Earlier in the conference, Monari suggested that university funding be based on merit, need, national priorities, and affirmative action.

According to the government’s proposed criteria, 30,088 out of 70,088 C+ students will be denied university funding.

Students who do not qualify for government funding will be required to pay Ksh48,000 per semester for their undergraduate degree courses, as proposed by President William Ruto’s Education Task Force.

The amount is also likely to rise after Vice Chancellors agreed at the conference to have individual universities determine school fees rather than the Ministry of Education.

This was one of several measures put in place to assist debt-ridden universities in raising funds.

Other initiatives included universities leasing out space and establishing businesses on idle land, as well as the introduction of short professional courses.

Story courtesy