Seek solution to varsity funding model crisis
What you need to know:
- The unanimous public verdict is that it is a disaster, hence the appeal to restore the old system.
- Stakeholders have been piling pressure on the government to withdraw the new funding model.
The universities are about to reopen for the new academic year, yet there is still some confusion over the controversial new student funding model. Students, their parents and other stakeholders are convinced that it is not working.
Many have praised the old system under the High Education Loans Board that granted all applicants to the various programmes uniform funding irrespective of their social status.
Many have been wondering why something that had been working so well was axed to experiment with the new model. The new system categorises the applicants as needy or less needy, and so on, to determine who gets loans for scholarships. The unanimous public verdict is that it is a disaster, hence the appeal to restore the old system.
An interesting development, however, is an apparent endorsement of this problematic system by the vice-chancellors of some public and private universities. They have thrown their weight behind what has proven to be a nightmare for the government.
Students and other stakeholders have been piling pressure on the government to withdraw the new funding model.
But the university administrators are urging students and their parents to back it. The VCs have indicated that there are global resources the institutions could also tap into to ease their reliance on the Treasury for their recurrent and development budgets. They have proposed that the system be allowed to run for at least 48 months to realise its advantages.
However, the current crisis cannot just be wished away. Some students have opted not to take up their admissions in public universities, unsure of getting funding beyond the initial offer to continue with their education. Others are opting for cheaper courses, and yet they qualify for more professional programmes.
President William Ruto recently held a town hall meeting with some student leaders from the various universities, and they made it quite clear to him that this new system is not working as had been anticipated. Instead of merely pontificating about this sensitive matter, a more practical approach is to come up with a more appropriate student funding model.
