Ministry of Education has announced that parents with children who sat their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2023 will be told the actual university fees payable before admissions begin in September. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu made the announcement on Friday, indicating that the results of the application of the funding will be released on July 31, 2024.
Student-Centred Funding Model
The Student-Centred Funding Model, initiated in May 2023 and effected in September of the same year, classifies university fees into three parts. There are the government-sourced scholarships and loans, then household’s contribution paid by parents. The model has the government’s component expressly providing for, with a view to avoiding the intimidation caused by the large quoted figures found in the first admission letters.
Higher Education Funding Portal
To facilitate the process, the ministry of Education shall open the Higher Education Funding portal (www.hef.co.ke) on June 15, 2024. Eligible students for 2023 KCSE will then apply in the open portal for the required funding. The level of funding will depend on the level of need, assessed in the case of each applicant.
Clarification on Fees
Machogu has stated that universities will tell freshers the amount of money their parents will have to pay once the results of the application of the funding are made public. This is in line with an instruction from the National Assembly Committee of Education. The committee had on March 2024 instructed the ministry to have university admission letters sent out to students without indicating the amount paid to them by the government. The directive was made in a bid to avoid causing unnecessary financial anxiety for parents.
Sensitisation campaign
To effect the transition without hiccups, Machogu directed universities and funding agencies to embark on sensitization of students, parents, and guardians, among other stakeholders. The campaign aims to demystify the Student-Centred Funding Model. To achieve this end, it will counter any erroneous perception by parents that the entire fee quoted in the admission letter will have to be paid by parents.
Admissions and Finance Support
The Ministry reiterated that all first-year students are to report to their respective universities according to the admission letters and joining instructions issued. In 2023, the second cohort of students benefiting from the new funding model will be supported, as this government continues to ensure that higher education is accessible to all.
Of the 201,146 candidates who qualified for university entry in the 2023 KCSE Examination, 153,274 students have been placed into various degree programs by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).