- As of Wednesday, HELB CEO Charles Ringera said 75,000 students had applied for scholarships and loans.
- Long queues were seen at the centre as students tried to beat the application deadline of September 7.
Image: FILE
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu is set to appear before the National Assembly Education Committee over the new higher education funding model.
With the new funding model, Ruto said needy students will get access to higher education and pull public universities out of deep debts.
The students will be sponsored either through scholarships or loans for equal opportunity in accessing university education.
MPs warned that thousands of poor students risked being locked out due to bureaucracies brought about by the system they said will increase the fee burden on parents.
The lawmakers now want the Education Ministry to revert to the previous capitation model where learners paid as little as Sh16,000 per year for degree courses.
Nyando MP Jared Okelo said it's disturbing that the lowest fees universities are now charging per year is a mind-boggling figure of Sh258,000.
"The highest for those students who are yet to pursue medical-related courses are meant to pay Sh450,000. If this is left unattended, I can assure you, less than 20 per cent of tour students are going to report to colleges," he said.
They said the system is opaque, complicated and could be prone to corruption, something that would work against students from poor backgrounds.
“There are serious concerns that the new financing model may put unrealistic burdens on parents and guardians, thereby disadvantaging some students who qualify to pursue higher learning,” Mbeere MP Geoffrey Ruku said.
As of Wednesday, HELB CEO Charles Ringera said 75,000 students had applied for scholarships and loans.
Long queues were seen at the centre as students tried to beat the application deadline of September 7.
He reiterated that the portal will not be closed until all the 265,000 students have applied.
"We've made arrangements that if by September 7 we'll not have received the entire 265,000 applications or thereabout, then definitely we will be extending the deadline," Ringera said.