- CS Julius Ogamba says so far, 134,029 applications have been received since the opening of the Higher Education Portal for this application cycle.
- He said out of this number, a total of 127,591 applications have already been categorised into various bands.
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The government is asking university students applying for loans and scholarships under the new funding model to exercise honesty to ensure that funding decisions are based on accurate and verified information.
Education CS Julius Ogamba says so far, 134,029 applications have been received since the opening of the Higher Education Portal for this application cycle.
He said out of this number, a total of 127,591 applications have already been categorised into various bands.
“Of the categorised applicants, 12,958 have lodged appeals for re-categorisation. The processing of the appeals has now started and will be concluded within three weeks from the date of each of appeal,” Ogamba said in a statement on Friday.
Applicants are categorised in five bands depending on their level of need.
The Ministry of Education uses the Means Testing Instrument (MTI) to determine the appropriate financial assistance each learner deserves.
The MTI relies on the accuracy of self-generated information provided by applicants regarding their socio-economic background, affirmative action considerations, socio-demographic factors and family education expenses.
Learners in Band 1 get 95 per cent government support; Band 2: 90 per cent; Band 3: 80 per cent; Band 4: 70 per cent while Band 5 receive 60 per cent.
Students across the respective bands are also entitled to Sh60,000, Sh55,000, Sh50,000, Sh45,000 and Sh40,000 upkeep loans.
There have been complaints that some disadvantaged learners have been placed in Band 5 whilst they deserve to be in Band 1.
State Department for Higher Education and Research PS Beatrice Inyangala told Parliament last week this is due to inaccurate information provided by applicants.
CS Ogamba said to ensure that all applicants are categorised fairly and that no one is deprived of deserved funding, the ministry is working with officers from the National Government Administration Office in a multi-agency approach.
“These officers will assist in verifying the information provided by applicants from their respective jurisdictions across all the 106,600 villages in the country to enhance transparency, efficiency and accountability in the funding process,” he said.
“We therefore request all applicants to act with integrity and diligence in providing accurate and comprehensive information concerning their circumstances.”
Meanwhile, the CS said the ministry has so far disbursed Sh5.2 billion to the Higher Education Loans Board for tuition and upkeep loans.
He said a further Sh2.8 billion has been released to the Universities Fund for scholarships.
“The funds are now being disbursed to the respective university and student accounts, upon ascertainment of students' reporting and admission. The disbursement process will be completed by August 30, 2024,” CS Ogamba said.