- PS Inyangala said government support will be available only to those who apply for funding.
- Starting August 19, 2024, parents and guardians will be informed of the university fees/household contribution towards the cost of university programmes.”
Image: FILE
The government has extended the application deadline for funding by KCSE students joining universities in the 2024-25 academic year.
Principal Secretary in the state department for Higher Education and Research Beatrice Inyangala says the deadline has been extended by 10 days and will now close on August 15, 2024.
“Under the New Funding Model, government funding will be allocated based on individual student need," she said.
The PS said government support will be available only to those who will apply for funding.
She revealed that parents and guardians will be informed of the university fees/household contribution towards the cost of university programmes starting from August 19, 2024.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) placed 153,275 students from the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) 2023 cohort in public and private universities.
The Ministry of Education opened the application portal for scholarships and loans for the 2023 KCSE cohort on June 18, 2024 and the process has been ongoing.
In a statement Monday evening, Inyangala gave an update on the process.
"As of August 4, 2024, a total of 79,038 university students had applied for both loans and scholarships but 74,237 university students are yet to apply for funding," she said.
The PS reasured government's committment to providing quality and affordable education to students in universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions (TVETs).
"Under the Leave No One Behind framework, we urge all students who have not yet applied for loans and scholarships to do so by visiting www.hef.co.ke," she said.
President William Ruto unveiled the new University Fundind Model on May 3, 2023 and announced issuance of government scholarships, loans and bursaries to university students starting with students under the 2023-24 academic year.
The model lays more emphasis on supporting learners from the most vulnerable households by awarding them higher funding compared to the counterparts from well-off families.
"For the first time, students whose families are at the bottom of the pyramid shall enjoy equal opportunity in accessing university and TVET education. Their households shall not make any contribution towards the education of their children," the President said then.
On July 19, the Ministry of Education nullified fees for first year 2024-25 students placed in universities by KUCCPS.
"We wish to confirm that their places in the academic programmes are firmly secured," PS Inyangala said said in a statement.
She added that the ministry would issue new fees structure from August 5, but in her statement on Monday revised the date to August 19, 2024.