Don’t panic over fees, Machogu tells varsity students
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
What you need to know:
- Students and parents have been shocked by the high fees indicated in the admission letters issued to them by various universities.
- The fee structures indicate the total amount of fees for every course without factoring in government support. The cost ranges from Sh144,000 to Sh720,000 per year depending on the nature of the course and the university where it is offered.
Parents and students who will join the university in August and September will wait until July 31 2024 to know the exact amount of tuition fees they (students) will pay.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has told the students that they will not pay the full fees indicated in their admission letters and that their family contribution will only be known after their funding applications have been processed.
Students and parents have been shocked by the high fees indicated in the admission letters issued to them by various universities. The fee structures indicate the total amount of fees for every course without factoring in government support. The cost ranges from Sh144,000 to Sh720,000 per year depending on the nature of the course and the university where it is offered.
“The government has since noted that some parents and guardians have had a perception that they will be required to pay the full fees as contained in the admission letters. The fees for each programme will be funded through three components; scholarship, loans and household contribution,” Mr Machogu said through a press statement on Friday.
He clarified that the household contribution will be determined by the amount each student will get in terms of scholarship or loan under a model of higher education funding that was introduced last year.
The CS directed the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) and the Universities Fund (UF) which allocate the loans and scholarships, respectively to open the portal for application on June 15 2024. Under the model, the scholarship is paid directly to the university while the loan has two parts. The tuition loan is remitted directly to the university while the amount meant for upkeep is deposited in the student’s account.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly Committee on Education directed the Ministry of Education to withdraw the admission letters and only issue the students with others indicating the exact amount they are expected to pay. The MPs said that the letters have caused confusion and that some students are opting out of university education to pursue training in other fields.
Some students also indicated that while selecting courses, they chose those that they could afford rather than their qualifications.
“Upon results of the funding applications being released, universities shall notify all their respective first-year students of the amount to be paid by the households,” said Mr Machogu.
Apart from the tuition fees, students also incur other expenses like accommodation and meals. For example, Kenyatta University charges Sh18,000 per year. Some students reside off-campus and therefore pay monthly rent depending on the type of house they live in. They are also required to buy laptops and other learning materials.
