State urged to fund medical students in private colleges, varsities

The government has been asked to consider extending scholarships to students doing medicine in private universities.

Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Board Chairman Prof Simon Gicharu says since the course is offered only in a limited number of universities, learners should be allowed to join private institutions and get scholarships.

"The students who choose to do a course in medicine which is not available in all our universities and are admitted to private institutions should be offered scholarships to pursue the course," he stated.

Gicharu who is also the Mount Kenya University (MKU) Chairman Board of Directors was speaking during the handover of the newly constructed university mosque and renovated Students Centre at the Chancellor Towers grounds.

The Mosque was constructed by the Qatar government.

"We are saying that the vulnerable students who want to do medicine for example at MKU which is the only private university offering the course in the country, should get government sponsorship," said Prof Gicharu.

He was accompanied by the Pro-Chancellor and University Council Chairman Dr Vincent Gaitho and the Vice-Chancellor Prof Deogratius Jaganyi.

At the same time, the KICD official maintained that the new government funding model for higher learning has not seriously affected the operations of private universities.

"It would be unfair to say that the new government funding model has affected our operations. According to the report by the Task Force, students in public universities would be getting scholarships and other support while those in private institutions get loans to meet the cost," he explained.

"For example, if a certain course costs Sh 300,000, the students in private universities will be able to pay for the fees using the loan. What has been lacking is proper communication on the matter and the government should make efforts to clarify the matter."

The Chairman also said the youth, particularly college and high school students, should be used as vehicles for uniting the country through various religious denominations.

He noted that the MKU leadership decided to build a mosque to be used by over 7,000 Muslim students as a way of demystifying religious norms and bringing cohesion among Kenyans from different backgrounds.

The students led by MKU Students Association Chairman Eric Ochieng appealed to the government to review the University Education funding model to ease the fees burden for learners, particularly in private institutions.

Muslim student representatives led by Mohamed Kadir Ali welcomed the University management's gesture of building them a place of worship, saying it is a big relief for the large number of Islamic adherents at MKU.

Earlier, Qatar Ambassador  Mohammed Mutair Al-Shamlani Al-Anzi handed over the newly built mosque to MKU management.

He reiterated that the project is among many projects the Qatar government is implementing in Kenya as it seeks to cement bilateral relations between the two nations.